#manila broadcasting company

[fashournalist]

Celebrating Small Wins: Reflections on the First Five Years of my Career

Time flies indeed. As of last Sunday, it's been exactly five years since my "first day in the real world." I know I still have a long way to go, and so much to learn, but I want to appreciate the progress I've made in the past five years.

I've had several part-time jobs back in college but it was on August 20, 2018 when I first reported to work full-time. I was a Media Writer (aka Broadcast Monitor) at Asia's leading media intelligence company, Isentia. Whenever I reached the office, I texted my parents "Happy place na" to let them know I got safe.

I stayed for two years before I got laid off, which triggered feelings that led to this article. (And an open letter to my colleagues/friends on my personal blog)

Looking back, I will always be grateful for my time as a Media Writer. It wasn't easy, I spent countless hours beyond my shift because I wanted to give my best in each of the 41283 summaries I've done for two years.

For five months, I commuted from Los Banos, Laguna to Ortigas everyday, and vice versa, before we were finally able to rent a 5 sqm room in Manila. That was the only room we could afford back then.

There were struggles and days when I wanted to give up. But I've also grown a lot, gained meaningful friendships, strengthened my faith in the Lord, and developed my work ethic.

It was worth it.

I remember often feeling so drained and tired on my way home, but I still looked forward to the next day so I could do my job again. I love learning new things everyday, and this job gave me that opportunity.

If there was one word that would describe my work ethic, that would be Passion. I always put passion and love in every task that I did.

More than a year later, I'm astonished that Isentia has recognized that passion. My teammate and friend Morris Manalaysay nominated me for the Isentia Awards Q1 recognition (without me knowing) and on Nov 21 2019, I was Manila's Isentia Awards Q1 winner alongside colleagues from different countries. That was my first career milestone.

I was so happy Momi got to see this day before she went to heaven. She was so proud, and I'm grateful I got to tell her it's all because of her and Dad that I get to survive each day and reach these milestones. All that I am and all that I ever will be, I owe it to them.

Isentia has been very supportive during my Mom's fight with cancer and raised funds for her, too. When Momi died in 2020, they also supported me in my grieving. I took a break and they only asked me to go back when I was ready.

When I was laid off, my separation anxiety was so strong, especially since I've been close with my batchmates and team friends as if we were high school classmates. (I'm glad we're friends until today even when we're in different companies already.)

Good journeys come to an end, too, for new and better chapters to unfold.

Chapter II

Getting laid off was bittersweet. I said goodbye to a job that I loved but it also led to better opportunities. I've been a Content Writer at Sevron Safety Solutions, worked on various projects for over a year. I got to do things I never tried before and wrote almost everything from blogs, social media posts, courses for The Knights of Safety™️, email campaigns, assessment tests for applicants, pillar pages, cluster pages, technical documents, and more. But my favorite task of all was writing the life stories of my colleagues, which was compiled into an internal book. As a storyteller, creative nonfiction is my favorite form of writing.

I'm also grateful we always aimed to change the world and save lives in each task. This meant a lot to me because I value meaningful work. Dale Allen was possibly the most passionate CEO/founder I've ever worked for. We had a therapist and life coach, too, Markos Yiannis, who had been so helpful in addressing our concerns, whether it's personal or work-related.

But one day, I was included in the layoffs again.

Chapter III

And that was when the plot twist happened. I returned to Isentia! This time, I was reporting to Isentia Singapore. Thanks to Ms Lady Ochel Espinosa, Regional Insights Director for Emerging Markets in Southeast Asia for encouraging me to apply for the role of Senior Insights Analyst in 2021. It was my dream job since 2018. I applied for the role of Insights Analyst in 2020, but I didn't get in. When I got laid off that year, Ms Ochel invited me to apply again, but I was already hired at Sevron. It was my "the one that got away". I'm grateful I got to pursue it in 2022. My favorite task was being part of our PH Elections white paper which was featured by media outlets. My favorite SG client was AIC.

However, I later on realized that as much as this was a truly great opportunity with so much learning and growth, what I really wanted to do was content writing instead of media analysis. I'll always be grateful I reached my dream of being a Senior Insights Analyst, but I realized it wasn't for me.

So after a year, for the first time, I resigned.

I love the company. I love the team. But I had to go. And find my passion.

But no matter where my career takes me, Isentia will always have a special place in my heart.

Chapter IV:

I applied to several Writer job openings. There was this one opening for Content Writer, but during the interview, they said the role was actually article moderation. Then I went through three challenging interviews and thankfully, I passed as an Article Moderator at iOPEX Technologies. Three months later, I became a Senior Article Moderator. And in my sixth month, I was recognized as the Top Overall Performer and agent with Top Attendance.

As much as it's fulfilling to be recognized for having good performance, I'm just as grateful for maintaining a good attendance. I have five rides to the office every day, encounter some floods along the way when it's raining, commute as early as 12AM, 3AM, 4AM, or 10PM depending on our shift, and so far, I've never been late yet since I started in February 🥹 I'm not saying I'll never be late, although that's the goal, but I just feel grateful and lucky that I was never late yet. Grateful, because everyday is a struggle, but I'm surviving it through God's grace. Lucky, because I know there are things outside our control that make tardiness inevitable and valid sometimes, but so far those things haven't affected me yet. So thank you po, Lord.

I believe in celebrating small wins just as we treasure huge milestones, and each time we report to work, each time we punch out after a long tiring day, each hour that we meet our quota, those are daily wins worth celebrating.

I'm glad to be back in the world of news, just like in my first job. From monitoring to moderating :)

There may be struggles and challenges, but I appreciate the job and the team. Very blessed to work with proactive teammates who happen to be good friends as well. (By the way, we are hiring! Let me know if you want to apply haha I doubt if anyone will read this lengthy story time but just in case, I'm putting this out here).

I was looking for Content Writing, but I found something else. And I enjoy it.

I realized, my adviser was right. it's okay to be open to new opportunities other than my passions. I shouldn't limit myself to writing.

What they say is true: you'll never know until you try. (I'm still writing everyday now, though, but in my journal or my verbose Instagram stories which are literally stories because of their long captions 🤣)

I'm grateful for each job I've had and currently have. My Dad and I were also able to transfer to a much better, bigger apartment unit (about 21 sqm?) since October 18, 2020. Thanks to the severance pay from Isentia 😅 Indeed, "All things work together for the good of those who love God." (Romans 8:28)

There are plenty of dreams that are yet to be fulfilled, but for now, I want to cherish the fact that I'm already living what I only once dreamt of.

I may not have been (or not yet?) a startup founder and CEO, or UNHRC/UNCHR diplomat, or New York Times bestselling author, or Miss Universe (😅) just like my younger self dreamt of, but I'm still thankful for the progress I've made. It's not much, but to my younger self, this is already a miracle. Sometimes imposter syndrome hits me, but I fight it by appreciating my hard work.

I look back at my first job, the struggle of commuting from LB to Ortigas each day, the struggle of squeezing ourselves in a 5 sqm room, the struggle of making ends meet, and I just feel so blessed to be where I am now. We haven't reached financial freedom yet but little by little, we're on our way.

To my future self, I don't know where you'll be, but I hope I've made you proud as well.

At the end of the day, all wins, big and small, are because of God's grace. His faithfulness carries me through every single day. As always, without Him, I can do nothing.

To everyone who's been part of this journey, thank you for the memories and lessons you've shared with me. And thank you for the moments we have yet to share.

To Momi, how I wish you're still here to celebrate our small and big wins but I know you're watching over us everyday. I'll do my best to keep making you proud up there. 🥹

To Apa, Dad, I'm so glad you're here with me. All that I accomplish each day is a result of how much you believe in me. I have many dreams in life but my greatest dream is to see you live up to 104 years old.

Thank you Lord Jesus for sustaining me in the first five years of my career. I surrender to You the bigger picture and the little details that make up each day.

Here's to the journey that lies ahead and to the growth that awaits ❤️

(PS. If you've read this far, message me an emoji. I just want to conduct an experiment char haha I'm just curious who was patient enough to read all this but I doubt if anyone will read this all 🤣. It's okay though. I had fun releasing this out of my chest 🥹)

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 2.5 (before 1950)

2 BC – Caesar Augustus is granted the title pater patriae by the Roman Senate. 62 – Earthquake in Pompeii, Italy. 756 – Chinese New Year; An Lushan proclaims himself Emperor of China and founds the short-lived state of Yan. 1576 – Henry of Navarre abjures Catholicism at Tours and rejoins the Protestant forces in the French Wars of Religion. 1597 – A group of early Japanese Christians are killed by the new government of Japan for being seen as a threat to Japanese society. 1783 – In Calabria, a sequence of strong earthquakes begins. 1810 – Peninsular War: Siege of Cádiz begins. 1818 – Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte ascends to the thrones of Sweden and Norway. 1852 – The New Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia, one of the largest and oldest museums in the world, opens to the public. 1859 – Alexandru Ioan Cuza, Prince of Moldavia, is also elected as prince of Wallachia, joining the two principalities as a personal union called the United Principalities, an autonomous region within the Ottoman Empire, which ushered in the birth of the modern Romanian state. 1869 – The largest alluvial gold nugget in history, called the "Welcome Stranger", is found in Moliagul, Victoria, Australia. 1885 – King Leopold II of Belgium establishes the Congo as a personal possession. 1901 – J. P. Morgan incorporates U.S. Steel in the state of New Jersey, although the company would not start doing business until February 25 and the assets of Andrew Carnegie's Carnegie Steel Company, Elbert H. Gary's Federal Steel Company, and William Henry Moore's National Steel Company were not acquired until April 1. 1905 – In Mexico, the General Hospital of Mexico is inaugurated, started with four basic specialties. 1907 – Belgian chemist Leo Baekeland announces the creation of Bakelite, the world's first synthetic plastic. 1913 – Greek military aviators, Michael Moutoussis and Aristeidis Moraitinis perform the first naval air mission in history, with a Farman MF.7 hydroplane. 1913 – Claudio Monteverdi's last opera L'incoronazione di Poppea was performed theatrically for the first time in more than 250 years. 1917 – The current constitution of Mexico is adopted, establishing a federal republic with powers separated into independent executive, legislative, and judicial branches. 1917 – The Congress of the United States passes the Immigration Act of 1917 over President Woodrow Wilson's veto. 1918 – Stephen W. Thompson shoots down a German airplane; this is the first aerial victory by the U.S. military. 1918 – SS Tuscania is torpedoed off the coast of Ireland; it is the first ship carrying American troops to Europe to be torpedoed and sunk. 1919 – Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and D. W. Griffith launch United Artists. 1924 – The Royal Greenwich Observatory begins broadcasting the hourly time signals known as the Greenwich Time Signal. 1933 – Mutiny on Royal Netherlands Navy warship HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën off the coast of Sumatra, Dutch East Indies. 1939 – Generalísimo Francisco Franco becomes the 68th "Caudillo de España", or Leader of Spain. 1941 – World War II: Allied forces begin the Battle of Keren to capture Keren, Eritrea. 1945 – World War II: General Douglas MacArthur returns to Manila.

[wutbju]

Harold James Sala, BJU Class of 1958.

Dr. Harold J. Sala, a beloved voice of Christian inspiration and guidance, passed away peacefully on August 6, 2024, at the age of 87. His life was a testament to unwavering faith and a profound commitment to sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world.

As the founder and president of Guidelines International Ministries for an extraordinary five decades, Dr. Sala leaves a profound legacy of Christian service. His daily five-minute radio program, “Guidelines for Living,” is the first and longest running daily five-minute program in Christian radio. The program, translated into over 25 languages in more than 100 countries, has touched the hearts and lives of millions across the globe, pointing listeners to the hope found in Jesus Christ.

"Dr. Harold J. Sala’s work has left an indelible mark on the world, inspiring countless individuals to deepen their faith and serve others,” said Troy A. Miller, President & CEO of the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB). “While we mourn the loss of this extraordinary man, we are also deeply grateful for the enduring legacy he leaves behind. His remarkable body of work will continue to provide Biblical encouragement and guidance to listeners around the globe.”

A tireless evangelist from a young age, Sala traveled extensively throughout his life, having shared the Gospel in more than 70 countries. Coming to faith when he was 12 and feeling a call to preach when he was 16, Sala became ordained at Bob Jones University and began preaching on weekends. He finished with a degree in English Bible by 18 years old. He and his wife Darlene were married in 1959 and spent their first year of marriage evangelizing in the U.S. and the United Kingdom.

In 1960, while serving as associate pastor of Calvary Temple in Denver, Colorado, Sala first became inspired by the success of short radio advertisements for their church’s Sunday school class. The concept of a concise, non-sermon-style Gospel message took shape.

After earning a Ph.D in Greek and Christian Education from Bob Jones University in 1963, Sala introduced the Guidelines program to a Los Angeles radio station, calling it “Guidelines, a Five-Minute Commentary on Living.” Its immediate popularity led to widespread syndication across the United States.

Sala began pastoring South Bay Bible Church in Redondo Beach, California in 1966 as the radio program gained momentum. In 1974, Sala joined the Far East Broadcasting Company (FEBC) in Manila, Philippines. This marked the pivotal moment of entering full-time into media missions, expanding the program’s reach to the Philippines, China, Russia, and Latin America.

Guidelines International Ministries established its headquarters in Orange County, California, in 1976. This began a fifteen-year television venture, “Guidelines for Family Living,” broadcast in the U.S. and the Philippines.

He authored 60 books, which have provided countless individuals a deeper understanding of Scripture and practical tools for living a Christ-centered life. Dr. Sala’s impact on the world is profound and enduring. His memory will forever be cherished by those whose lives he touched.

Today, Guidelines International Ministries offers a wide array of resources, including free Bible studies, devotional videos, and a growing digital platform for teaching materials. Their audio devotionals have been translated into more than 20 languages with 50 international radio station partners broadcasting the devotionals in over 100+ countries daily. Additionally, Guidelines distributes solar radios and audio Bibles and supports pioneering media ministries in places of gospel poverty.

Continuing her father’s legacy, president and CEO Bonnie Sala has transformed Guidelines from a U.S.-based radio ministry into a global ministry, propelling it into its next season of impact. She is the voice behind the daily “Reset” audio devotional, reaching audiences in the United States, the Philippines, Macedonia, Ukraine, Singapore, and throughout the continent of Africa.

Sala is survived by his wife of over 60 years, Darlene, three adult children, and many grandchildren. Guidelines will continue as a living tribute to Sala’s legacy, carrying his message of hope and faith to generations to come. To learn more about his life story and celebrate the continuing mission of Dr. Harold J. Sala, visit his legacy website: haroldsala.com.

Guidelines International Ministries has been an NRB member since 1977 and has received numerous NRB awards, including the 2014 Milestone Award and the 2021 Strategic Partnership Award. Dr. Harold Sala received the 2019 Radio Impact Award.

The prayers and support of the NRB family will remain with the loved ones of Dr. Harold J. Sala. Share a memory or read the reflections of those impacted by Sala’s life and ministry here.

[onenettvchannel]

BALITANG REHIYONAL: K5 News FM achieves landmark victory as Bacolod's leading news broadcaster on radio to Number One, says Nielsen RAM [#OneNETnewsEXCLUSIVE]

BACOLOD, NEGROS OCCIDENTAL -- K5 News FM, a regional flagship music and news of DYQU-FM 103.9mhz tops the Nielsen Radio Audience Measurement (RAM) for Q3 2024, recently secures the #1 FM radio station in 'Bacolod City, Negros Occidental'. It is the greatest achievement for a local radio station, just a couple of days after the past mid-week celebration of New Year's Eve, a testament to this station's strong presence in the market and its strong connection with the community.

Based on the quarterly data, obtaining first by OneNETnews, an audience share received the final score of 38.1% as Bacolod leads to #1 for K5 News FM. Coming in 2nd is GMA Radio Network's Barangay FM DYEN-FM 107.1, with a share of 20.22%. Ending out in 3rd place, Manila Broadcasting Company Media Group (MBCMG)'s Love Radio DYKS-FM 91.9 has an audience share of 15.40%. Comparing with the Kantar Media Survey (KMS) in the early mid-October of 2023, the former brand name of Sweet FM got the audience share of 29.18%. It is a jump to nearly 9% of the Bacolodnons who were tuned in locally.

K5 News FM Philippines (formerly known as Radyo Bandera: Sweet FM network), bringing strong support of its loyal listeners inspired to success. Their commitment and involvement have been key to its growth. Dr. Ramel Ytang Uy, Chief Executive Officer and President of '5K Broadcasting Network Inc.' (5KBNi), through an airtime lease of 'Palawan Broadcasting Corporation' (PBC) affords them to innovate and continue delivering local & regional news, entertainment and hottest music that the people of Bacolodnons may want to hear in the Western Visayas region. The music and news on the FM band continues to move forward, rather than standard AM band nonsense.

As concluded in our writing, it has now been recognized for its hard work and close linked with the Negrosanon people, certifying the best for the Bacolodnons. 'K5 News FM' sincerely extends by thanking everyone who were listened on free radio, streaming LIVE or on demand with your favorite news and public affair programmes in the TeleRadyo format, making the only preferred radio station of choice.

STOCK PHOTO COURTESY for REPRESENTATION: Google Earth and Maps BACKGROUND PROVIDED BY: Tegna

SOURCE: *https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandera_News_Philippines *https://www.facebook.com/100003369900675/posts/6527215360734063 *https://www.facebook.com/100063881523212/posts/1046112757528099 *https://www.facebook.com/100075741802963/posts/668976352303752 and *https://www.facebook.com/100075741802963/videos/611838667986790/

IMPORTANT FULL DISCLOSURE: K5 News FM network is a parent firm on this internet TV station and news organization of ONC and OneNETnews.

-- OneNETnews Online Publication Team

[creativoices]

The VoiceMaster

Pocholo De Leon Gonzales AKA The VoiceMaster

About Pocholo De Leon Gonzales

   He comes up on stage and amazes the crowd with the many voices he can make. He says something funny and has the entire audience roar with laughter. He shares his visions and words of inspiration and simply makes everyone blown away. Is there any other Filipino motivational speaker who can do all that in a single talk?

The Titan of Filipino voice acting. Veteran radio broadcaster. Internationally-awarded youth advocate. Award-winning author. Highly sought-after voice director, trainer and motivational speaker. Pocholo de Leon Gonzales is known as the “VoiceMaster of the Philippines” for having utilized his voice not only for the purpose of entertaining people, but more importantly for inspiring, motivating and empowering particularly the Filipino youth.

At the young age of 16, Pocholo started his voice acting career after winning a competition in DZMM’s drama and singing contest “Radyo, Radyo” where he later became one of the anchors, scriptwriter, and co-director. His voice has since then been used for thousands of anime characters, hundreds of local radio and television commercials, various children’s programs, films, dubbed foreign telenovelas, drama, TV shows, video games, and audiobooks. He has also done work for many TV and radio stations – both major and minor – as a reporter, broadcaster, host, voice-over, radio drama talent and voice director.

Pocholo aced his education as a BA Speech Communication graduate from the University of the Philippines, Diliman. He then took his MA in Broadcast Communication in the same school, all while he is making his name in the voice acting industry.

    Pocholo’s biggest accomplishment as a voice artist is being the voice of the greatest book ever written – the Holy Bible. Pocholo has been selected among dozens of voice artists to read the Filipino AudioBible produced by Biblica, the world’s largest distributor of the Bible in different languages around the world.

Pocholo believes that voice acting is an art that needs to be further developed. With his vision is to make the Philippines the center of voice-over excellence in Asia, he established Creativoices Productions in 2005, the premier voice-over company in the country today. Under his company, Pocholo built the first and only voice acting school in the country, the Philippine Center for Voice Acting. This school conducts voice acting workshops – more popularly known as “Voiceworx” – and opens the door for aspiring voice artists to get into the used-to-be exclusive industry of voice acting. For more than a decade, the school has produced more than 1,000 graduates and hundreds of voice artists, who now make up about 90% of talents that dominate the industry today – as voice actors, hosts, broadcasters, and even public speakers.

 Because of all his accomplishments as a voice artist, Pocholo became the only Filipino/Asian panelist in the 2012 VoiceOver International Creative Experience (VOICE) Convention held in Anaheim, California.

Being the “VoiceMaster of the Philippines,” Pocholo is by far the most acknowledged and recognized voice artist in the country. He has been featured in several television programs like “Balitang K,” “Matanglawin” and “Kabuhayang Swak na Swak” in ABS CBN, “I Juander” and “Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho” in GMA, “ShopTalk” and “Mukha” in ANC, “Tribe,” “Aprub” and “Taumbahay” in Net 25, “Sweet Life” in QTV, “Good Morning Boss” on PTV 4, “Medyo Late Night Show with Jojo A” on TV 5, and “Serbisyo All-Access” in CNN Philippines. He was also featured in both print and online publications like Speed Magazine, The Philippine Star, Manila Bulletin, Reach Knowledge Magazine, Rappler and Raket.ph. He was even featured in some radio programs of DZBB, Radyo Veritas, DWIZ, Radyo Singko, DZRJ, UNTV Radio, Pinas FM, DZRH, and DZMM.

Pocholo is the founder of Voice of the Youth Network (VOTY), an advocacy organization that aims to inform, inspire, involve and empower the Filipino youth through media and Information and Communications Technology (ICT). VOTY has over 20 radio programs all over the country, all of which are produced by the VoiceMaster. VOTY has become a venue for the young members of society to have a voice on issues that affect them and contribute to positive social change. Through VOTY, Pocholo has shared numerous opportunities to the youth to attend seminars and events that inform, inspire, involve and empower them.  

Pocholo has been honored locally and internationally for his contributions to empowering the Filipino Youth. In 2003, he was awarded as a District Winner in the 2nd Quezon City Youth Achiever’s Awards and also received the 2nd YouthActionNet Award given by the International Youth Foundation in Washington DC in the same year. He also received the Global Youth in Action Award in New York City in 2004. In 2014, the International Youth Assembly and Youth Federation for World Peace awarded him as a Youth Ambassador for Peace together with one of the country’s most famous actors and a fellow youth advocate, Dingdong Dantes. Pocholo is also one of the finalists of Asia CEO Awards for the Young Leader of the Year in 2014, and a nominee for the 2014 The Outstanding Young Men Awards. He has been awarded as a one of the 2015 Ten Outstanding Movers of the Philippines Awards by SAVE ME Movement.

As a veteran voice artist, Pocholo understands the importance of voice, not only for his craft but also for “professional voice users” – people whose livelihoods rely mainly on their voice. This is why he founded Voice Care Philippines, a non-profit organization that aims to teach professional voice users how to take care of their voice, and to use voice acting techniques for effective speaking. Aside from doing motivational talks in schools and universities for students, Pocholo has also traveled around the country to impart this knowledge through the Voice Care for Teachers program.

Pocholo also spreads his advocacies for the youth through his motivational talks. Being recognized as a truly inspiring and highly sought-after Filipino motivational speaker, he has been invited to take on the podium in more than 1000 schools and universities, as well as in various organizations and events here and abroad. He shares his knowledge and expertise in Voice Acting, Communication, Personal Branding, Guerilla Marketing, and Youth Empowerment and Development.

There is never a dull moment when the VoiceMaster speaks. Whether he’s speaking to a group of a dozen students or to a crowd of 20,000 – be it an assembly of students or corporate professionals – Pocholo never ceases to captivate the audience with his voice. More importantly, it’s his heart for inspiring and empowering people that would make everyone wanting to hear more.

  In May 2015, Pocholo has been chosen to be one of the delegates – and one of the youngest participants – to the Advanced Leadership Training of Haggai Institute in Maui, Hawaii. Haggai Institute is a worldwide community of Christian leaders that takes evangelistic expertise to places where it’s needed most. Students of the Advanced Leadership Training come from almost every profession from every Christian tradition. Despite the diversity of their backgrounds, all are focused on one task – bringing the values of Jesus Christ to the world, through direct evangelism or humanitarian efforts.

Only established leaders in their own fields are qualified to apply for the training, after a rigorous screening process of more than 8000 applications from all over the world. Through this training, Pocholo has been able to take his advocacy of empowering his fellow Filipinos to the next level, not only by spreading the Gospel, but more importantly by setting an example of how to live life as a divine spark of God.

In 2016, Pocholo launches Pochology Academy, a consortium of trainers and motivational speakers that teaches various life skills in the form of workshops, seminars and teambuilding programs. Pochology Academy is the “school of life” which empowers Filipinos towards greatness, excellence, and success.

True to his mission of empowering his fellow Filipinos, Pocholo also established other advocacy organizations to spread the culture of sharing opportunities and best practices within certain industries:

The Microphone Club – an organization designed to set the standards for performance, professionalism, service and the craft for anyone who uses the microphone in their profession (hosts, broadcasters, singers, public speakers, etc.)

Society of Young Filipino Speakers – a network of existing and aspiring Filipino motivational speaker that aims to inform, inspire, involve and empower the Filipino youth through motivational speaking

Freelancer Ako! – a network of Filipino freelancers in various industries whose mission is to advocate the highest ideals and best practices for freelancing

Negosyo Kabataan – a network of aspiring and existing young Filipino entrepreneurs whose mission is to ignite the Filipino youth’s entrepreneurial mindset, not only by getting them to go into business but more importantly, by discovering their skills and passion that would become the basis for their own enterprise. The network was established to support the Youth Entrepreneurship Act (R.A. 10679).

 Pocholo is an advocate of Youth Entrepreneurship, and has served as one of Go Negosyo’s Angelpreneurs since winning their Most Inspiring Bataeno Microentrepreneur Award in 2009. He has been invited to speak in various Youth Entrepreneurship conferences, including Department of Trade and Industry’s Youth Entrepreneurship Summit in Cagayan de Oro in November 2016, the National Youth Business Convention in January 2017, and the ASEAN Young Entrepreneurs Challenge in National University of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur in April 2017. Pocholo is also a speaker in DTI and Go Negosyo’s Kapatid Mentor Me Program, and a mentor on Go Negosyo’s Mentor on Wheels.

 Pocholo is the author of 2 books. His first book, “Voice Care for Teachers” is the written version of his Voice Care for Teachers workshop that provides tools and techniques to efficiently and effectively use the voice in teaching, and gives 21st century teaching strategies that engages 21st century students and also help preserve the voice. In September 2016, he released his second book, “Gusto Kong Maging Voice Talent,” that gives aspiring voice artists a roadmap to build a successful career in the voice acting industry. It is the first-ever voice acting book in the Philippines that Pocholo has written in celebration of his 20th year in voice acting. “Gusto Kong Maging Voice Talent” was awarded “Best Book on Professions” in the 36th National Book Awards.

Pocholo also contributed a chapter about dubbing and localization to the sixth edition of the Bible of voiceovers, “The Art of Voice Acting” written by James Alburger, published in March 2019.

 Pocholo serves as the 2018 Chapter President of Junior Chamber International (JCI) Makati, which he has been a member of since 2010. He is currently the Vice President for Public Relations and External Affairs, and one of the Board of Directors of Titans Business Ventures Corporation.

The man behind a thousand voices. A great visionary. The modern-day Jose Rizal. Pocholo “The VoiceMaster” Gonzales is truly an inspiring, motivating and empowering Filipino motivational speaker of this generation.

[ofw-job-orders]

Filipino Media OFWs in Bangkok: Blockchain, Health, & the Path to Economic Reintegration

The sun beats down on Sukhumvit Road, Bangkok’s bustling artery, as Maria scrolls through her phone, checking the latest cryptocurrency prices. A former television producer from Manila, Maria is one of the thousands of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in Thailand, navigating a life far from home, grappling with unique challenges, and exploring new avenues for financial security. Her story, like that of many media professionals working abroad, highlights the complex interplay of ambition, sacrifice, and the constant search for better opportunities.

The narrative of the OFW is deeply ingrained in the Filipino psyche. Generations have sought employment overseas, contributing significantly to the Philippine economy through remittances. While the typical image of an OFW might be a domestic worker or a construction worker, a growing segment comprises skilled professionals, including those in the media industry. Drawn by the promise of higher salaries and international experience, these individuals often leave behind established careers and families to carve a new path in foreign lands.

Bangkok, a vibrant hub of Southeast Asia, has become a popular destination for Filipino media professionals. The city’s burgeoning media landscape offers opportunities in journalism, broadcasting, advertising, and public relations. Yet, the allure of international experience often comes with its own set of challenges. Long working hours, cultural adjustments, and the constant pressure to perform can take a toll on physical and mental well-being.

Maria’s experience echoes this reality. The demanding nature of her job as a video editor for a Thai production company often requires her to work late nights and weekends. The pressure to adapt to a new work environment, coupled with the emotional strain of being away from her family, has led to sleep deprivation and anxiety. “It’s a constant juggling act,” she admits, “trying to balance work, personal life, and staying connected with loved ones back home.”

Physical health challenges are a significant concern for OFWs, particularly those in demanding professions like media. The long hours, sedentary lifestyle, and often unhealthy food options can contribute to various health problems, including obesity, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases. Access to quality healthcare can also be a barrier, especially for those in lower-paying jobs or without comprehensive health insurance. Maria, for example, has been experiencing persistent back pain due to long hours spent in front of a computer. Finding affordable and accessible healthcare in a foreign country has proven to be an added layer of complexity.

In recent years, a new dimension has been added to the OFW narrative: the exploration of blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies. The decentralized nature and potential for high returns have attracted many OFWs, who see these technologies as a means to achieve financial independence and secure their future. Maria, like many of her colleagues, started researching cryptocurrencies in 2020, drawn by the stories of significant gains and the possibility of creating a safety net for herself and her family.

The timing of this exploration is significant. The COVID-19 pandemic, which began around the same time, significantly impacted the global economy and highlighted the vulnerabilities of traditional financial systems. Many OFWs faced job losses and reduced income, prompting them to seek alternative avenues for financial security. The pandemic also accelerated the adoption of digital technologies, making it easier for individuals to access information and engage with online platforms related to cryptocurrencies and blockchain.

While the potential of these technologies is undeniable, it's crucial to acknowledge the risks involved. The volatility of cryptocurrency markets, the potential for scams, and the lack of regulatory frameworks in many countries necessitate caution and thorough research. For OFWs, who often have limited financial resources and may be less familiar with these technologies, it is essential to approach this space with informed decision-making and a clear understanding of the potential downsides.

The eventual return home is a constant thought for most OFWs. The dream of reuniting with family and building a stable life in the Philippines is a powerful motivator. However, the economic reintegration of returning OFWs presents a unique set of challenges. Finding suitable employment opportunities that match their skills and experience acquired abroad is often difficult. The disparity between salaries offered in the Philippines and those earned overseas can be a significant deterrent, forcing many returning OFWs to accept lower-paying jobs or face unemployment.

This is where resources like OFWJobs.org (www.ofwjobs.org) play a vital role. Platforms like these provide a bridge between returning OFWs and potential employers in the Philippines. By connecting skilled professionals with relevant job opportunities, they facilitate a smoother transition back into the local workforce and contribute to the overall economic development of the country. The site offers a range of resources, including job listings, career advice, and information on government programs designed to support returning OFWs.

The government also has a crucial role to play in supporting the economic reintegration of returning OFWs. Investing in skills development programs, providing access to affordable financing for entrepreneurship, and creating a conducive business environment can empower returning OFWs to leverage their international experience and contribute to the growth of the Philippine economy. Furthermore, strengthening regulatory frameworks for emerging technologies like blockchain and cryptocurrency can create new opportunities for OFWs and foster innovation within the country.

Maria’s story is just one example of the multifaceted experiences of OFWs, particularly those in the media industry. Their journey is marked by sacrifice, resilience, and a constant pursuit of better opportunities. While the challenges are real and often significant, the unwavering spirit of the OFW, coupled with supportive resources and proactive government policies, can pave the way for successful economic reintegration and a brighter future back home. As technology continues to evolve and the global landscape shifts, the narrative of the OFW will undoubtedly continue to evolve, reflecting the changing dynamics of work, migration, and the pursuit of a better life. The exploration of new technologies, like blockchain and cryptocurrency, may become an increasingly important part of this evolving narrative, offering new avenues for financial security and empowerment.

[impossibleperfectionnerd]

NATO basic let me remind you guys: to negotiate already: bit by bit then ALL - 1 month period 1. all land titles- core land titles (145) ex. Sta. Mesa office, San Juan city home, NAVOTAS, folgueras, there are 2 - 4th st. San Miguel Manila (near San BEda college), paranaque, Ayala alabang properties, binan, Laguna, pasay city. Batangas (talibeach area)…tip of the iceberg. 2. Full receipt of NATO aid- primary- 15,000 euro per day for myself & only & cents & pennies from UST priests 25 cents a day from the priesthood. P6000 per month from the New Vatican state as it’s prime deity. To back it up- for NATO not to have a hard time timewise - Salaries from my banking businesses worldwide as bank owner (110)- 1.2M euro each per month and as law firm owner & accounting firm owner (110) - Dentons (Swiss international law firm)/SGV & co. (Filipino world class accounting firm)/Deloitte (French accounting firm)/Grant Thornton) a. Credit suisse b. UBS c. Sarasin d. Mirabaud group e. Migros group f. Banque Cantonale de Geneve g. Banque Cantonale de Vaudoise h. Vontobel I. Swiss National government bank j.Julius Baer Group k.EFG international l.Pictet Group m.Lombard Odier n.Intessa San Paolo 0. BMP p. CDP Italy q. Sella bank r. PostFinance s. Habib bank (Swiss) - not Muslim! t. Revolut (France) u. Unicredit- (France) v. Chinabank (Capitol commons branch) w. Security bank (Capitol commons) X. BDO (Rockwell the Grove & Silver city pasig & main branch in Makati & BDO corporate center) y. Eastwest bank z. Landbank UP diliman - z1. AUB (Asia United bank) - Ortigas center z2. Lloyd’s of London z3. Barclay’s bank z4. PSbank z5. Metrobank (tiendesitas area & main near San Miguel ave. Ortigas center) z6. BNP Paribas (Italy) z7. Mendiolanum (Italy) z8. Banco Al veneto centrale (Italy) z9. HSBC (UK) z10. Standard chartered bank (UK) z11. Harrod’s bank (UK) z12. Bank of America (USA) z13. Bank of Tennesee (USA) z14. Washington mutual (USA) z15. Citibank group (USA) z16. Goldman Sachs (USA) z17. Wells Fargo (USA) z18. TRB (USA) z19. Desjardins of Canada z20. Royal bank of Canada z21. Bank of England z22. Scotiabank z23. TDbank z24. ANZ z25. Philippine National Bank (PNB) z26. Unilever z27. Coca Cola company z28. Unionbank z29. RCBC z30. Philtrust bank z31. Chase z32. Morgan Stanley z33. Carnegie Mellon bank z34. New York stock exchange z35. Hong Kong stock exchanges z36. Mainland China stock exchanges z37. Swiss stock exchange z38. Italian stock exchange z39. British stock exchange z40. NASA z41. X or Twitter z42. Tumblr z43.APPLE z44. European space academy z45. Various military schools- MILAC (premier Swiss military school) & Royal academy of sandhurst (United Kingdom) & Karlberg military academy (Sweden) & premier Belgium military school (Belgium) & Benedictine military school (Kansas, USA), premier California military school (San Luis obispo), westpoint (Virginia). Premier Italian military school (Naples) - Yale standard/ non - Yale standard (UST working level style) (Naples). St. Cyr military school (France). Z46. Hewlett-Packard z47. H and M & ikea & swedabank z48. Louis Vuitton/Harrod’s/Chanel/balenciaga/van cleef arpels/Cartier/Tiffany’s/bulgari/ z49. SM z50. Microsoft z51. Warner brothers/Weinstein company/MGM/Marvel comics z52.EPSON z53. Union bancaire privee (UBP Switzerland) z54. Banque Luxembourg z55. 7-11 z56. UERM & Veterans bank & Phoenix oil, our lady of Lourdes hospital, Philippine law school, Arellano law school. z57.General Motors Z58. McDo Z59. Swiss broadcasting corp. Z60. Vatican News z61. Keystone SDA (Swiss media) z62. BBC worldwide per country z63. SpaceX (USA) z64. Bucca de Beppo Italian restaurant Z65. Marugame Udon z66. Asakusa z67. Tartufo z68. RPN 9 z69. UST law school z70. GMA 7 3. 1 small car - Chevrolet mini hatchback 🚗. British Mini cooper (not more than P1.5M in value)- green in color or black in color

[robpinzon]

Dinagyang Dances On: Back-to-Back Victory at Aliwan Fiesta 2024

I recently had the privilege of attending the vibrant Aliwan Fiesta 2024 hosted by the Manila Broadcasting Company. The atmosphere crackled with energy as diverse cultural groups from across the Philippines converged to showcase their heritage through dance, music, and stunning costumes. A Feast for the Senses Aliwan Fiesta 2024 The grand parade was a visual spectacle. Adorned in elaborate…

[findjobseasy]

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[circlejourney]

I grabbed the entire unpaywalled article text, it's absolutely worth reading and goes into detail about the perils of databaseifying biodata. Favourite quote: "So if you define family in ways that make Netflix less money, that’s felony contempt of its business model." Under the cut:

This Is What Netflix Thinks Your Family Is

The streaming service’s restrictive new rules on password sharing among relatives reveal the industry’s pernicious bias. By Cory Doctorow

FEBRUARY 8, 2023

Netflix just unveiled (and then partially withdrew) details of a new password-sharing policy, which allows members of the same “household” to share an account. Besides being, in reality, more an anti-password-sharing policy, this revised version comes with two very large assumptions: that there is a commonly understood, universal meaning of household, and that software can determine who is and is not a member of your household.

This is a recurring form of techno-hubris: the idea that baseline concepts such as “family” have crisp definitions, and that any exceptions are outliers that would never swallow the rule. Such corporate delusion in the world of technology is so long established and common that there’s a whole genre devoted to cataloging the phenomenon: “Falsehoods Programmers Believe About X.”

In the early 2000s, I spent several years trying to bring some balance to just such an effort to define family. I was the representative for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit established to defend civil liberties online, in a forum created by the industry consortium Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB). This business association, which sets digital-TV standards used in most of the world (though not in the U.S.), was then rolling out a system designed to limit video sharing to a single household. Its term of art for this software-defined family unit was “authorized domain.”

The borders of this domain were privately negotiated by corporate executives from media companies, broadcasters, and tech and consumer-electronics companies, in closed-door sessions all around the world with no public minutes or proceedings. These guys (they were nearly all guys) were proud of how much “flexibility” they’d built into their definition of household. For example, if you owned a houseboat and take your laptop, or had a luxury car with seatback displays, or kept a summer villa with lots of TVs in another country, the authorized domain would be able to figure out how to get your videos onto all of those screens.

But what about other kinds of families, I asked—the kinds without boats or villas?

I suggested that one test case should be a family based in Manila, whose dad travels to remote provinces to do agricultural labor, whose daughter works as a nanny in California, and whose son does construction work in the United Arab Emirates. The guys roundly rejected this suggestion as an “edge case.”

Of course, this isn’t an edge case. There are orders of magnitude more people whose family looks like this than there are people who own a vacation home in another country. Owning a villa makes you an outlier; having an itinerant agricultural worker as your family’s breadwinner does not.

Unfortunately, everyone in the room who draws up the standard definition of what constitutes a household is more likely to have a villa than to depend on remittances from family members working abroad. So if your family looks like their edge case, that’s tough: “Computer says no.”

One day, we got to talking about the problem of “content laundering,” another form of sharing that the forum considered illicit. The way to prevent it, the executives argued, would be to put limits on how often someone could leave one household and join another: No one could have a legitimate reason to change households every week.

“What about a child whose divorced parents share custody of her?” I said. “She’s absolutely going to change households every week.” They thought about it for a moment, then the representative of a giant IT company (which, it so happened, had recently been convicted of criminal antitrust violations) said, “Oh, we can solve that. We’ll give her a toll-free number to call when she gets locked out of her account.”

That was the solution they went with: If you were a child coping with the dissolution of your parents’ marriage, you would have to keep calling up a media company to get your TV access unblocked. I never forgot that day. I even wrote a science-fiction story about it, “Authorised Domain,” which took the form of a court-ordered letter written by a girl who’d been automatically caught for and then charged with “piracy” as she attempted to keep up with her favorite TV shows following her parents’ divorce.

I think everyone in that DVB meeting understood the absurdity, but they had already decided that defining the “household” category would have a simple software solution. That decision made, nothing was going to stop it.

Categories such as “household” and “family” are such intuitive touchstones in our everyday life that we think we know what they mean in a commonsense way—even if, in fact, their definitions are fuzzy to the point of being fractal. Even someone’s name, which you might think would be very stable and fixed, can be fuzzy. Take, for example, my grandfather’s.

He was born Avrom Doctorovitch. At least, that’s one way to transliterate his name, which was spelled in a different alphabet, Cyrillic—though it was also transliterating his first name from another alphabet, Hebrew. When he came to Canada as a refugee from the Soviet Union, his surname was anglicized to Doctorow. We have cousins whose names are spelled Doctorov, Doctoroff, and Doktorovitch.

Naturally, his first name could have been Abraham or Abe, but his first employer, a fellow Eastern European émigré, decided that this was too ethnic and, in a well-intended effort to help him fit in, called my grandfather “Bill.” When my grandfather attained citizenship, his papers read “Abraham William Doctorow.” So he went by “Abe,” “Billy,” “Bill,” “William,” “Abraham,” and “Avrom.”

As a practical matter, it generally didn’t matter that such variations appeared on assorted forms of ID, contracts, and paperwork. For instance, his reparations check from the German government had a different variation from the name on the papers he used to open his bank account, but the bank still let him deposit it.

All of my relatives from his generation have more than one name. Another grandfather of mine was born Aleksander and was called “Sasha” by friends; he had his name changed to Seymour when he got to Canada. His ID documents were also a grab bag.

None of this mattered to him either: Airlines would sell him tickets, border guards would stamp his passport, and rental agencies would let him drive away in their cars in spite of the minor variations on his IDs. But after 9/11, all of that changed. Suddenly, it was “computer says no” unless everything matched perfectly.

A global rush for legal name changes took place in the early 2000s, not because people were actually changing their names, but because they needed to perform the bureaucratic rite of standardizing the name they’d used all along for recognition by these brittle new machines with their database schema.

The dynamic at work here conforms to the principle I call the “Shitty Technology Adoption Curve,” which describes the process by which abusive technologies work their way up the privilege gradient. Every bad technological idea is first applied to poor people, refugees, prisoners, kids, psychiatric patients, and other people who can’t push back. Their bodies are used to sand the rough edges and sharp corners off the technology, to normalize it so that it can be imposed on people with more power and influence.

The final stage in this process occurs when people are persuaded to adopt the technology as a luxury good. Twenty years ago, if you ate your dinner under an always on closed-circuit television system, it was because you were in a supermax prison. Today, it’s because you bought yourself a premium home-surveillance system from Google, Amazon, or Apple.

As with the DVB guys’ “authorized domain,” the Netflix anti-sharing tools are designed for rich people. If you travel for business and stay in the kind of hotel where the TV has its own Netflix client that you can plug your username and password into, Netflix will give you a seven-day temporary code to use. But unless you connect to your home Wi-Fi network and stream a show every 31 days, Netflix will lock you out of your devices. Once blocked, you have to contact Netflix. Cue laughter in Big Tech customer service.

Why is Netflix putting the screws to its customers? It’s part of the “enshittification” cycle (another coinage of mine), in which the platform company first allocates surpluses to its users, luring them in and using them as bait for business customers. Then, once the consumers turn up, the company reallocates surpluses to businesses, lavishing them with low commissions and lots of revenue opportunities. And after they’re locked in, the company starts to claw back the surpluses for itself.

Remember when Netflix was in the business of mailing red envelopes full of DVDs around the country? That was allocating surpluses to users. The movie companies hated this, and considered it theft—a proposition that was at least as valid as Netflix’s complaints about password sharing. But every pirate wants to be an admiral. When Netflix did it to the studios, it was progress—when you do it to Netflix, however, it’s theft. So if you define family in ways that make Netflix less money, that’s felony contempt of its business model.

Netflix isn’t the only company that has tried to embed a definition of family in service offerings—Apple and Google have also made their own ham-fisted attempts. But just because a business’s shareholders would prefer to assign sharp-edged borders to notions such as family, households, names, and addresses doesn’t mean that we can—or should.

Sums up the PM mindset nicely

[kikodora]

Aliwan Fiesta 2023 Returns with Pomp and Grandeur

With the return of the much-loved Aliwan Fiesta on July 13-15, the Manila Broadcasting Company will ensure that the public will once again experience the joyous fusion of music and art. It stands as the biggest festival in the entire Philippines. The clash of the best dance contingents sent by the regions from different parts of the archipelago will continue. It will take place on the last…

[normanblogs]

Aliwan Fiesta Digital Queen 2020

With the whole world moving to a virtual space, Manila Broadcasting Company (MBC) has decided to take its established brand already steeped in grassroots entertainment to launch the online search for the Aliwan Fiesta Digital Queen 2020 .

This will be a title distinct from Reyna ng Aliwan, which will continue to be part of the mammoth festive convergence which ties together the country’s…

[timows-turf]

Saving Mother Ignacia

[REQUESTED BY Miggy Tapuyao]

The franchise renewal of ABS-CBN must be discussed in the 18th Congress.

TOMORROW is the fight of Manny Pacquiao against Keith Thurman and it will be aired exclusively on ABS-CBN, the first to do so in 13 years.

But that’s not the focus of this post.

In fact, the following day, the 18th Congress will convene — alongside is the fourth State of the Nation Address of…

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Netflix wants to chop down your family tree

Netflix has unveiled the details of its new anti-password-sharing policy, detailing a suite of complex gymnastics that customers will be expected to undergo if their living arrangements trigger Netflix’s automated enforcement mechanisms:

https://thestreamable.com/news/confirmed-netflix-unveils-first-details-of-new-anti-password-sharing-measures

If you’d like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here’s a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/02/nonbinary-families/#red-envelopes

Netflix says that its new policy allows members of the same “household” to share an account. This policy comes with an assumption: that there is a commonly understood, universal meaning of “household,” and that software can determine who is and is not a member of your household.

This is a very old corporate delusion in the world of technology. In the early 2000s, I spent years trying to bring some balance to an effort at DVB, whose digital television standards are used in most of the world (but not the USA) when they rolled out CPCM, a DRM system that was supposed to limit video-sharing to a single household.

Their term of art for this was the “authorized domain”: a software-defined family unit whose borders were privately negotiated by corporate executives from media companies, broadcasters, tech and consumer electronics companies in closed-door sessions all around the world, with no public minutes or proceedings.

https://onezero.medium.com/the-internet-heist-part-iii-8561f6d5a4dc

These guys (they were nearly all guys) were proud of how much “flexibility” they’d built into their definition of “household.” For example, if you owned a houseboat, or a luxury car with seatback displays, or a summer villa in another country, the Authorized Domain would be able to figure out how to get the video onto all those screens.

But what about other kinds of families? I suggested that one of our test cases should be a family based in Manila: where the dad travels to remote provinces to do agricultural labor; the daughter is a nanny in California; and the son is doing construction work in the UAE. This suggestion was roundly rejected as an “edge case.”

Of course, this isn’t an edge case. There are orders of magnitude more people whose family looks like this than there are people whose family owns a villa in another country. Owning a houseboat or a luxury car makes you an outlier. Having an itinerant agricultural breadwinner in your family does not.

But everyone who is in the room when a cartel draws up a standard definition of what constitutes a household is almost certainly drawn from a pool that is more likely to have a summer villa than a child doing domestic work or construction labor half a world away. These weirdos, so dissimilar from the global majority, get to define the boxes that computers will shove the rest of the world into. If your family doesn’t look like their family, that’s tough: “Computer says no.”

One day at a CPCM meeting, we got to talking about the problem of “content laundering” and how the way to prevent it would be to put limits on how often someone could leave a household and join another one. No one, they argued, would ever have to change households every week.

I put my hand up and said, “What about a child whose divorced parents share custody of her? She’s absolutely going to change households every week.” They thought about it for a moment, then the rep from a giant IT company that had recently been convicted of criminal antitrust violations said, “Oh, we can solve that: we’ll give her a toll-free number to call when she gets locked out of her account.”

That was the solution they went with. If you are a child coping with the dissolution of your parents’ marriage, you will have the obligation to call up a media company every month — or more often — and explain that Mummy and Daddy don’t love each other any more, but can I please have my TV back?

I never forgot that day. I even wrote a science fiction story about it called (what else?) “Authorized Domain”:

https://craphound.com/news/2011/10/31/authorised-domain/

I think everyone understood that this was an absurd “solution,” but they had already decided that they were going to complete the seemingly straightforward business of defining a category like “household” using software, and once that train left the station, nothing was going to stop it.

This is a recurring form of techno-hubris: the idea that baseline concepts like “family” have crisp definitions and that any exceptions are outliers that would never swallow the rule. It’s such a common misstep that there’s a whole enre* called “Falsehoods Programmers Believe About ______”:

https://github.com/kdeldycke/awesome-falsehood

In that list: names, time, currency, birthdays, timezones, email addresses, national borders, nations, biometrics, gender, language, alphabets, phone numbers, addresses, systems of measurement, and, of course, families. These categories are touchstones in our everyday life, and we think we know what they mean — but then we try to define them, and the list of exceptions spirals out into a hairy, fractal infinity.

Historically, these fuzzy categorical edges didn’t matter so much, because they were usually interpreted by humans using common sense. My grandfather was born “Avrom Doctorovitch” (or at least, that’s one way to transliterate his name, which was spelled in a different alphabet, but which was also transliterating his first name from yet another alphabet). When he came to Canada as a refugee, his surname was anglicized to “Doctorow.” Other cousins are “Doctorov,” “Doctoroff,” and “Doktorovitch.”

Naturally, his first name could have been “Abraham” or “Abe,” but his first employer (a fellow Eastern European emigre) decided that was too ethnic and in sincere effort to help him fit in, he called my grandfather “Bill.” When my grandfather attained citizenship, his papers read “Abraham William Doctorow.” He went by “Abe,” “Billy,” “Bill,” “William,” “Abraham” and “Avrom.”

Practically, it didn’t matter that variations on all of these appeared on various forms of ID, contracts, and paperwork. His reparations check from the German government had a different variation from the name on the papers he used to open his bank account, but the bank still let him deposit it.

All of my relatives from his generation have more than one name. Another grandfather of mine was born “Aleksander,” and called “Sasha” by friends, but had his name changed to “Seymour” when he got to Canada. His ID was also a mismatched grab-bag of variations on that theme.

None of this mattered to him, either. Airlines would sell him tickets and border guards would stamp his passport and rental agencies would let him drive away in cars despite the minor variations on all his ID.

But after 9/11, all that changed, for everyone who had blithely trundled along with semi-matching names across their official papers and database entries. Suddenly, it was “computer says no” everywhere you turned, unless everything matched perfectly. There was a global rush for legal name-changes after 9/11 — not because people changed their names, but because people needed to perform the bureaucratic ritual necessary to have the name they’d used all along be recognized in these new, brittle, ambiguity-incinerating machines.

For important categories, ambiguity is a feature, not a bug. The fact that you can write anything on an envelope (including a direction to deliver the letter to the granny flat over the garage, not the front door) means that we don’t have to define “address” — we can leave it usefully hairy around the edges.

Once the database schema is formalized, then “address” gets defined too — the number of lines it can have, the number of characters each line can have, the kinds of characters and even words (woe betide anyone who lives in Scunthorpe).

If you have a “real” address, a “real” name, a “real” date of birth, all of this might seem distant to you. These “edge” cases — seasonal agricultural workers, refugees with randomly assigned “English” names — are very far from your experience.

That’s true — for now (but not forever). The “Shitty Technology Adoption Curve” describes the process by which abusive technologies work their way up the privilege gradient. Every bad technological idea is first rolled out on poor people, refugees, prisoners, kids, mental patients and other people who can’t push back.

Their bodies are used to sand the rough edges and sharp corners off the technology, to normalize it so that it can climb up through the social ranks, imposed on people with more and more power and influence. 20 years ago, if you ate your dinner under an always-on #CCTV, it was because you were in a supermax prison. Today, it’s because you bought a premium home surveillance system from Google, Amazon or Apple.

https://pluralistic.net/2021/07/29/impunity-corrodes/#arise-ye-prisoners

The Netflix anti-sharing tools are designed for rich people. If you travel for business and stay in the kind of hotel where the TV has its own Netflix client that you can plug your username and password into, Netflix will give you a seven-day temporary code to use.

But for the most hardcore road-warriors, Netflix has thin gruel. Unless you connect to your home wifi network every 31 days and stream a show, Netflix will lock out your devices. Once blocked, you have to “contact Netflix” (laughs in Big Tech customer service).

Why is Netflix putting the screws to its customers? It’s part of the enshittification cycle, where platform companies first allocate surpluses to their customers, luring them in and using them as bait for business customers. Once they turn up, the companies reallocate surpluses to businesses, lavishing them with low commissions and lots of revenue opportunities. And once they’re locked in, the company starts to claw back the surpluses for itself.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/21/potemkin-ai/#hey-guys

Remember when Netflix was in the business of mailing red envelopes full of DVDs around the country? That was allocating surpluses to users. The movie companies hated this, viewed it as theft — a proposition that was at least as valid as Netflix’s complaints about password sharing, but every pirate wants to be an admiral, and when Netflix did it to the studios, that was “progress,” but when you do it to Netflix, that’s theft.

Then, once Netflix had users locked in and migrated to the web (and later, apps), it shifted surpluses to studios, paying fat licensing fees to stream their movies and connect them to a huge audience.

Finally, once the studios were locked in, Netflix started to harvest the surplus for its shareholders: raising prices, lowering streaming rates, knocking off other studios’ best performing shows with in-house clones, etc. Users’ surpluses are also on the menu: the password “sharing” that let you define a household according to your family’s own idiosyncratic contours is unilaterally abolished in a quest to punish feckless Gen Z kids for buying avocado toast instead of their own Netflix subscriptions.

Netflix was able to ignore the studios’ outraged howls when it built a business by nonconsenually distributing their products in red envelopes. But now that Netflix has come for your family, don’t even think about giving Netfix some of what it gave to the MPAA.

As a technical matter, it’s not really that hard to modify Netflix’s app so that every stream you pull seems to come from your house, no matter where you are. But doing so would require reverse-engineering Netflix’s app, and that would violate Section 1201 of the DMCA, the CFAA, and eleventy-seven other horrible laws. Netflix’s lawyers would nuke you until the rubble bounced.

When Netflix was getting started, it could freely interoperate with the DVDs that the studios had put on the market. It could repurpose those DVDs in ways that the studios strenuously objected to. In other words, Netfix used adversarial interoperability (AKA Competitive Compatibility or ComCom) to launch its business:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/10/adversarial-interoperability

Today, Netflix is on the vanguard of the war to abolish adversarial interop. They helped lead the charge to pervert W3C web-standards, creating a DRM video standard called EME that made it a crime to build a full-featured browser without getting permission from media companies and restricting its functionality to their specifications:

https://blog.samuelmaddock.com/posts/the-end-of-indie-web-browsers/

When they used adversarial interoperability to build a multi-billion-dollar global company using the movie studios’ products in ways the studios hated, that was progress. When you define “family” in ways that makes Netflix less money, that’s felony contempt of business model.

[Image ID: A Victorian family tree template populated by tintypes of old-timey people. In the foreground stands a menacing, chainsaw-wielding figure, his face obscured by a hoodie. The blade of the chainsaw is poised to chop down the family tree. A Netflix 'N' logo has been superimposed over the man's face.]

[onenettvchannel]

American Cable Channel 'Cartoon Network' yet potentially shutting down by 2025

ATLANTA, GEORGIA -- Social media abuzzed with a new latest hashtag trend "#RIPCartoonNetwork" on the X Network (formerly Twitter, owned by X Corporation) after a community page called Animation Workers Ignited (AWI) posted and claimed that the Warner Brothers merger-owned cable TV kids network was dead. Following after Cartoon Network Studios' building shutting down last year in 2023, the state of animation and challenges animators face in getting enough work to pay their bills, leaving the animation industry is under attack or forcing go permanently off-air, implementing for a potential and upcoming final broadcast.

Discovery Communications and Warner Brothers, now known as Warner Bros.-Discovery (WBD) after the merger, several Cartoon Network projects were reportedly canceled. To name a few, the remaining and final CNS originals such as Craig of the Creek's new pre-school cartoon spin-off "Jessica William's Big Little World", "Iyanu: Child of Wonder" and "Adventure Time: Side Quests". While the acquired series from Canada and France goes to "Total Drama Island" and "Totally Spies!" are both securing new seasons today. All these are up to 2025 onwards.

WBD owns the network and its Chief Executive Officer named Mr. David Zaslav, has been delisting shows across their catalogues to cut costs, despite the company's substantial revenue. However, multiple sources indicate that Cartoon Network in America and regional cable TV kids stations in every single countries of the world will remain available, and there are still projects ahead. For timeshifter channel like Adult Swim in the adult demographic (shortly after signing-off for the afternoon or evening, along the Toonami programming block, will not be affected.

Animation workers, like creators in other professions at CNS are struggling to make ends meet as executives prioritize revenue for themselves and shareholders. The future of animation remains uncertain, but the cable kids network isn't shutting down entirely.

Big memories before the upcoming final broadcast of CN within a few to several years time, as the main animation studio is officially done, and yet, literally bankrupt as a whole. The trend of "#RIPCartoonNetwork" is a big misleading point and turned out false. From "Adventure Time" to "Steven Universe" to "Craig of the Creek", the cable kids channel will soon be the last time, if considered legit to see whether if you're new or current childhood grew up on national american television.

FILE SCREENGRAB COURTESY for REPRESENTATION: Cartoon Network Studios

SPECIAL THANKS to NET25 Manila for sending in a news tip!

SOURCE: *https://www.mensjournal.com/streaming/rip-cartoon-network-trend-explained [Referenced News Article via Men's Journal] *https://www.comingsoon.net/guides/features/1794469-is-cartoon-network-closing-down-ripcartoonnetwork-trend-explained [Refereced News Article via Coming Soon News Bureau] *https://uproxx.com/tv/did-cartoon-network-shut-down-ripcartoonnetwork-explained/ [Referenced News Article via Uproxx] *https://www.animationmagazine.net/2023/07/warner-bros-discovery-closing-cartoon-network-studios-hq-in-burbank/ [Referenced News Article via Animation Magazine] *https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AH9G5nEkgt0 [Referenced YT VIDEO via DZEC-TV's NET25 Manila] *https://x.com/cartoonnetwork/status/1581019585478037504 [Referenced X Network Tweet Post via CartoonNetwork] and *https://verafiles.org/articles/fact-check-cartoon-network-not-shutting-down

-- OneNETnews Online Publication Team

[cowsaves]

WLB - Ch 7

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6

Jason Shaw helps himself to a treat.

Jason Shaw hunches over his desk, illuminated solely by his dull desk lamp. He tangles his fingers through his hair as budgets and figures blur before him, and the stress builds to a pounding at the base of his skull. He sighs and leans back. His tie is crumpled and undone on a pile of manila folders, tossed aside much earlier in the night, his shirt halfway undone and revealing the white undershirt beneath. He glances out the floor-to-ceiling windows of his office. The blinds are so slightly ajar as to see the parking lot at the base of the building. He counts few cars remaining, and assumes it's him, janitorial staff, and some of Amelia's interns trying to stay ahead.

The board members' disapproving, wrinkled faces haunt him. With only one week until their meeting, one of the biggest of his life as they examine everything he's done in his first year as CEO in his father's place, Jason doesn't dream of going home at five. Instead, here he is at nine-thirty, going over the same reports for the fifth time. If Tommy were here, he'd call him stir crazy and force him out to a bar, and Jason wouldn't mind the distraction. But, that's far too rowdy for someone with this much riding on his successes. Instead, Jason peels himself out of his desk chair and decides to take a walk.

He winds down the halls leading to other executive offices, whole wings dedicated to the necessary areas of running their company. All their lights are long since darkened and the walkways are only lit with the few bulbs required for the cleaning crew. Jason crosses the skyway, a glass walkway separating his side from more clerical work, like HR and accounting. He scans his keycard and takes their elevator to the base floor, ground level. He paces pass the empty lobby and through the cafeteria, stopping to investigate the kitchen. Large burlap bags marked "FEED" catch his interest, and quickly lose it as he realizes it's the raw, cut grass fed to his cows. Jason marches past the other well-labeled bags of nutrients and hormones used to bind their grass into chewable clumps, as well as the clear vats of pink powder the lab produced and handed off to the meal preppers. It had something to do with milk production or docility, Jason doesn't remember.

He finds the stairwell and takes himself a level below ground where McCarthy's lab, interns, and exam office function. He hears the quiet tinkling of glass and typing, and passes four interns focused on their work. Three of them don't look up or acknowledge his footsteps, and the fourth quickly pretends he doesn't recognize Shaw, too embarrassed to greet the man in charge. Jason laughs to himself under his breath and keeps on his route, rounding corners until he comes to a slow stop.

He stands before the glass walls of what was Essie's pod just a week ago. Jason spent those four weeks watching quietly from live security footage as Essie followed his voice deeper and deeper into her program. Watching her lose herself and find her new purpose, all while his words echoed in her mind, was exhilarating. He almost wanted to start over and do it all again, if he only had the time. Instead, Jason paces down the next pod, and the next, and the next. There are five pods waiting at any given moment for a new entry, and when they're taking new applicants, the turnover rate is extraordinary. Well, when working within the usual timeframe. Jason chuckles, and moves for the exit. He might as well pack up and go home, knowing he won't get anything more done this late into the night.

Or, he can take one last lap. Jason, instead, turns for the barn. He scans his keycard once again, and enters the simulated darkness. Rows of cows are tucked sweetly into the fetal position, all resting under lighting meant to resemble the night sky. In reality, the lights are dimmed to broadcast through dark blue bulbs and emulate a night under the moon and stars. Jason nearly trips on the clear tubing that pushes the girls' milk out to the bottling and assembly line. He rights himself with a hand on one creaky gate, and freezes as the cow inside snorts herself back to sleep. He begins to feel drowsy himself under the specialty bulbs, but shakes himself awake to do his final sweep.

Jason fondly travels around the perimeter, finding HVA290, a redheaded cow who entered the facility roughly eight months prior. She was nothing but a soft, disapproving voice when she started, and was now their top producer. Her farmhand had even gotten a bi-weekly bonus as it took so much longer to drain her than your standard cow. HVA290 twitches in her sleep and mumbles. Jason rests his elbows on her gate and leans over her pen. He remembers presenting HVA290 as a set of data to the board nearly three quarters prior, one of his first successes. The board followed him to the barn as he milked her personally in that presentation. They marveled at her output and when offered a drink, only their pride stopped them from asking for another.

Jason leaves HVA290 and heads for the next row. It's truly the addictive quality of their milk that keeps Shaw Farms in business and ahead of their competition. Thankfully, it's not due to an additive or another unseemly practice, but is baked into cows upon their transformation. Jason attributes it to a kind of scientific magic. It's something honestly remarkable about their product, and it's –

A soft, distressed moo echoes down the stalls. Jason cuts his own thought off as he leans from side to side, hunting for the source. Every cow he sees is lying down, softly snoring, each pen identical - except for one. He approaches on quick, quiet feet to find Essie May with her IV inserted, her tits still red and nipples puffed. She's covered in a clammy sweat, moaning, and curled tightly into herself. Jason opens her gate and comes to her side. She weakly lifts her head, blinking into awareness.

"Mm... still... still hurts," she moans.

Jason whispers, "Whoa, whoa. Essie May, quiet down."

As she hears the trigger words, Essie's eyes roll back in her head and she slumps into heavy, even breathing. Where Jason easily could have put her to sleep, he chooses to keep her in an awake, but sedated state. While not out of pain, Jason knows she should experience a sense of euphoria that at least dulls her injury. He nearly moves to carry her to McCarthy's exam room, but is stopped short by the IV still feeding her milk stimulants.

Shaw jogs out the barn and back to Amelia's interns. He drags one away from their studies and into Essie May's stall, where they make quick work of disconnecting her and pressing a bandage to the insertion site. With it tightly taped to the bend of Essie's arm, Shaw hoists Essie over his shoulder. The intern stumbles after him, asking if he's sure he doesn't need a stretcher. Shaw can only insist he's fine, he's fine, everything's going to be taken care of. The intern ensures Shaw gets Essie May to the exam table, and finally asks if he should notify Dr. McCarthy before returning to his work. Shaw dismisses him with a wave of his hand.

McCarthy stores blankets in one of these cabinets, and Shaw digs through them all in his mission to keep Essie warm. Her eyes limply follow him around the room until he covers her. He supports Essie and sits her upright, her ass pressed to the cool metal as Shaw says, "Essie, wide awake."

And Essie moans over herself as she comes to her full senses. Yet, the ache is second to the completeness she feels in Jason's presence. Essie pushes a gulp down her throat, and whines, "So... so full. Help, please."

Jason looks at her as if looking at her for the first time, a nervous energy singing through him. He should be calling Amelia or Tommy, and he knows it. But something in Essie's wide, brown eyes begging for him, for Jason to save her specifically, has him ruffled. He's not meant to be hands-on with the stock. That was never the way his father ran the business, and it wasn't the way he intended to, either. Yet, he'd already broken that rule when he fucked Essie through her program completion, and he hadn't stopped himself from cumming across her chest. This, however, wasn't on anyone's radar. Sure, Jason had created nearly a hundred hours of hypnosis training. That was something he had plenty of experience in, something that called for him to work with Essie one on one when things got... out of hand. But milking? He had never attempted it. It wasn't his place.

Essie shuffles in his arms, her breasts so plump and overflowing that it can't take much. After all, it's not like mixing Amelia's chemicals and seeing what happens. It has to be as straightforward as it seems.

"Alright, Essie, wait here," Jason says, his voice low and commanding, even unintentionally. Essie's eyes gather a fine mist of obedience over them, and she sits patiently whimpering as Jason hunts through the room again. He knows he's seen it somewhere - ah, there. A spare pail stuffed in the back of the closet. Amelia has to use it for emergency milkings, or what else is it for?

"Down," Jason commands, and Essie automatically, but carefully, wobbles onto her hands and knees. The exam table doesn't budge beneath her, but it can't be comfortable.

Jason pushes the bucket under her chest and rolls his sleeves to the elbows. He palms her breasts, and Essie lets out a sharp breath. He mutters to himself, "Let's make this quick."

As much as Jason tugs and pulls at Essie's breasts, at her nipples, squeezes from the top down, nothing comes out. He soothes her as best he can, cooing and murmuring sweet sounds. But Essie is near tears as he lets go once again, the bucket just as empty as he knows it was that morning. Why did he think he could milk Essie May if Tommy, one of his own handlers, couldn't? Maybe all that 'imprinting' talk was in his head.

Jason carelessly tosses the bucket to the counter and airs out his now sweaty armpits. Essie is red and irritated and more uncomfortable than when they started. It's as if no pair of hands in the entire farm can get the job done.

...Hands.

Jason has an idea. One that he knows the handlers don't like, and that McCarthy would throw a fit for. He pats Essie's ass with a gentle tap, and rearranges her to sit with her legs swinging over the side of the table. He pushes her hands behind her, forcing Essie's chest out. She looks at him with those big brown eyes, and Jason freezes. This is the last thing he's meant to be doing. He spent the last week putting distance between himself and EMT299, at McCarthy's suggestion and his own opinion. If they were going to train the bond out of Essie, this was not going to help. But, doesn't Jason care about Essie's health? Isn't this for her own good, for Shaw Farms' good, as they aim for higher and higher production quotas?

Shaw knows he's bullshitting himself. But it feels better than the truth.

Jason opens his mouth and flicks Essie's raw, puffy nipple with his tongue. She jolts under the touch, surprised and still aching. As he wets her skin, he moves his other hand to her clit, and rubs in agonizingly slow circles. Essie's cheeks burn bright red, her brain soft and animalistic with the pain and pleasure combining. Shaw hooks her nipple into his mouth and begins to suck diligently. He goes through the motion in a loop as Essie's cries grow louder and louder, and the muscles in his jaw tire quickly. He sucks at her tit until his wrist cramps, and he switches sides, moving his mouth to the other breast and his other hand takes up the mantle downstairs. As he moves, Essie borders on cumming already, and he slows his fingers even further. He puts all his focus and energy into the movement of his mouth, occasionally giving them both a rest and dragging his tongue up and down Essie's most sensitive flesh.

When he alternates, Jason pushes himself to move even faster. He sucks as hard as he can, hollowing his cheeks and pulling at her over and over. He drags his other hand from her cunt and instead, attaches it to her other breast, and Essie howls at the touch. Her eyes are watering again and her chest feels as if it's on fire. The pain grows until it's nearly unbearable. She grunts and groans, but can't do much more as her mind is completely empty of everything but the sensation. It hurts, and hurts, and keeps hurting until –

It's as if something is unplugged. Shaw makes a muffled noise of surprise as the first trickle of milk lands on his tongue. Essie's chest is heaving with relief. Her moos soften to a slow hum as satisfaction fills her from head to toe. Her trickle becomes a stream, and Jason is gulping back as much as he can. It dribbles down the corners of his mouth, trailing along his chin and dotting his clothes. He knows he can stop now, can move on to the other tit - but the taste is unlike anything else. There's a sweet, almost fruity quality to Essie's milk, and it's thicker than standard dairy, frothy in nature. It glides past his tongue and down his throat and Shaw is helplessly chasing the true nature of its flavor. Essie's pussy throbs the longer he sucks and is desperate for something to fill her totally. She winces when that breast runs dry and Shaw continues to tug at her nipple. He quickly finds the other in a flurry of movement, and is bobbing against her breast as quickly as he was the first time.

Essie grunts as he tugs on her sore, burdened chest, until once again, sweet relief claws its way through. Shaw moans into the second flow, and drinks her with as much fervor as he did the first time. He makes a bigger mess as he gasps into her, white cream spilling down his face and staining his button-down. When Essie, sadly, runs completely dry, Shaw frees her nipple with a pop. He staggers backwards and rests against McCarthy's counter. His mind is nothing but an epiphany, as if it's woken up and tasted pure sweetness for the first time in its life. He wipes his face with his hands and sucks what he can from his own fingers, as well.

Essie rests with a look of dazed satisfaction on her face, though her hips twitch. She squirms from side to side, not so subtly spreading her legs as she takes on a wanton blush. Shaw feels the urge to mount her blossoming in his chest, and his straining cock. He wants to have all of her, to completely possess her as he's overcome with greed. But he fumbles. He remembers who he is, and what Essie is truly for. Shaw shakes himself loose. This can't happen again.

Stepping ever so closer to Essie, he triggers her, "Essie, listen closely."

Her expression fades to emptiness, to a vast, vacant look ready to to absorb whatever Shaw feeds her.

Shaw comes to her ear and whispers, low and firm, "You've been very good for me. So good for me, that your mind can't contain it. Your sweet, simple mind. It won't retain anything that happened tonight, because it just... can't. All it can hold is a memory of you sleeping soundly. All you have are your memories of the dark barn, of your peaceful sleep."

Essie hums, her legs closing slowly and her body taking on a slight sway from side to side.

"What do you remember, Essie?"

Her words are slurred and take so much effort for her to produce. "I'm... sleep. Sleepy... in the barn."

"Yes," Shaw pats her head. "Good. You're too dumb to remember anything else. Too simple and pretty. What are you, Essie?"

"D-dumb. Sim...simple. Pretty." Essie basks in her praise.

"That's right," Jason says. "And you're ready to go back to your dreams, aren't you?"

"Mmm," Essie hums and nods.

"Good, very good. Rest easy, Essie."

And she leans to the table, curling into a deep, relaxed slumber.

Jason takes her over his shoulders and calls for the intern to follow him back to her stall. Once she's reconnected to her IV, Jason turns to the student.

"You studied in the lab all night, understand?" Shaw squares his shoulders and looks down his nose at the kid.

The intern agrees shakily, "Y-yes, sir."

"I don't like to do this, but your position at Shaw Farms is dependent on your honesty," Jason says. The intern nods, and Jason allows him to scurry back to his work. He gives Essie one last look before he marches for his office and slams himself inside. He returns to his desk, to his head in his hands. Her taste lingers in his mouth, and he finds himself licking the backs of his teeth to collect it. As Jason shuts the blinds completely, he pulls lotion and tissues from the bottom drawer of his desk. He pumps himself and a warm, thick load into his hand, and Essie swirls through his brain.