Posts by Gill

Elephant in the Room

Disability and the Millennium Development Goals

Posted by Gill on Oct 7, 2010 in Blog | 0 comments

At the end of September world leaders from around the globe met in New York to discuss the progress that had (and hadn’t) been made towards meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – the set of eight international development targets agreed by all 192 United Nations member states in 2000 and that outline the ambitious overall target of the eradication of extreme poverty by the year...

A Question Of Morals

Posted by Gill on Sep 19, 2010 in Blog | 5 comments

The Pope’s high profile visit to the UK, and the enormous amount of commentary and debate surrounding it offer a good opportunity to talk about Catholicism in the Philippines. In particular the common local response I’ve experienced to my own professed agnosticism can be revealing about how ideas of morality can be constructed differently in different belief systems, and this...

Typhoons and Shootings

The Philippines in the News

Posted by Gill on Sep 1, 2010 in Blog | 0 comments

Last week was a rare occasion for the Philippines, as the country saw massive exposure in news media that would be widely read or watched around the world. Unfortunately, this exposure came as a result of the tragic deaths of 8 foreign nationals at the hands of gunman Rolando Mendoza, whose bus hi-jack and subsequent hostage stand-off was broadcast live to millions of viewers as it unfolded....

Town Mouse, Country Mouse

The differing challenges of urban and rural poverty

Posted by Gill on Aug 22, 2010 in Blog | 1 comment

It is estimated that 44% of the population of the Philippines live on less than $2 a day, and that 80% of the poor live in rural areas of the country. Every year, thousands of these rural poor move to the cities in search of employment, improved living conditions and a better life for themselves and their families. Bing Bing, a subsistence farmer I met in Zambales province recited to me...

Wesewrimo

An experiment in web fiction

Posted by Gill on Aug 2, 2010 in Blog | 0 comments

Now, as I’m sure you’re all well aware, this month is Wesewrimo – Web Series Writing Month! No? Well then, go have a look here to enlighten yourself. Yes, its yet another slightly twisted Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month for the uninitiated) clone (albeit slightly less ridiculously demanding as you get to set your own goal as long as it’s vaguely web series...