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None“I hope that I use my time wisely as a new retiree,” said M., when asked what her hope was for 2025. She spent her best years as a guidance counselor at a private school in Quezon City. “I hope to practice mindfulness by decluttering my space, gardening, and journaling.” In the light of the myriad of mental health sufferers among our students, her comment betrays the pressure counselors are under as well. M., however, belongs to a generation whose hope extends to the community. She quickly added: “On the macro level: I yearn for the election of honest, competent, service-oriented government officials. And that we Filipinos remember and honor the legacy of our heroic forebears, taking pride in our identity.” Recent literature in hope studies indicates that most people “have become accustomed to dreaming big at the individual scale. On the collective level, however, our hope is failing us.” As interest rates go down and election season begins, people’s hopes are palpably high. The promise of money, fame, and self-realization will be fulfilled once more. But what about collective hope? Are we seeing a brighter future for our communities and nation as a whole? I asked two political scientists if they had high hopes for the coming year. Hansley Juliano, who is currently working for his PhD from Nagoya University, said: “Personally, my hope lies in my engagement with my students and the organizations and advocates who still persist in fighting for our rights and necessary policies even in hostile situations. Even the hardest and most hostile times were made lighter by those who stood by what they believe in, sometimes at great cost to themselves and those they care about — mostly because they are trying to protect the ones they love anyway.” I didn’t ask any more for the gory details of the rights and policies the students were fighting for nor what price they had to pay for protecting their loved ones. This means, however, that hope is not the optimism that things will turn out fine. One has to dig deep to find hope through concrete action. Must Read 90% of Filipinos hopeful for New Year, but that’s a 15-year low — SWS People run away from hope because it is dangerous. It requires a form of dissent which is not rebelliousness. It is not rebellious because it is realistic. It demands an honest-to-goodness look at the situation and an acknowledgment of facts. It is nonetheless dissenting, for one does not simply accept the things as they are and he or she becomes open to new solutions. Unlike optimism, hope exercises intellectual humility of not shaping reality as we see fit. As they say, “If they say there will be mass deportations in the US, we better believe them.” Arj Aguirre, assistant professor at Ateneo de Manila University, said: “I am hoping that our midterms will be peaceful and less violent.... In this election, I am excited to see how our opposition is trying to survive despite being out of power for many years. This is, to me, is an indication, that we are indeed maturing. As you can see, some politicians are sticking to their party. They stay despite the temptation of party switching just to win.” Essentially a warning that things will get worse before they get better, the midterm elections will most likely be violent. People buzz about “ foreign malign influence .” The opposition, while not completely dead, is in survival mode. Does this mean that democracy itself is in survival mode? Evidences from the US, Europe, and Southeast Asia force us conclude this. One gleans a hint of spiritedness in Aguirre’s words, though, perhaps fueled by inside information of what is going on in the opposition. Both Juliano and Aguirre observe that enough political actors are doubling down, sticking to their convictions, despite the great convenience of becoming a political opportunist. We can share their stories more than the dominant narrative that the political landscape is infested by turncoats and butterflies. Furthermore, a physician and a Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary Officer, wishes “for stability in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) and that the WPS be protected from marine destruction.” Father Ted Gonzales, president of the Center for Family Ministries, emphasizes: “Give jobs, not ayuda .... Identify corruption and codependency as another form of sin to the nation. Invest in quality and critical education instead of making people remain ignorant. Make education and healthy lifestyle with integrity a priority as a national value.” Both involved in active duty, their hope is having a sense of agency. Hope is acting with purpose and intentionality. Even more crucially, it is making sure actions align with one’s purpose. A nation of codependents and without agency will be weak, uncreative, and not ready for battle. Crucial in hope is the capacity to do something about the situation. Hope is the capacity to ask the question: Now that nothing can be done, what can be done? Must Read [REFLECTION] ‘Hope is not dead’ – Pope Francis Even if the enemies are literally hidden in plain sight and that government continues to sabotage its development plan, what can still be done? “Make good coffee!” A slogan that was born during Occupy Wall Street, it is a code for inviting people for a serious conversation. In isolation, the situation will seem bleak; with true comrades, anything is possible. One’s allies may not even be alive. As veteran journalist Howie Severino says: “Just before every new year we remember Jose Rizal on December 30. Sharing a nation with such a man reminds me that we’re a work in progress to something much better.” Finally, for Jesuit Father General, Arturo Sosa, in 2025 we are called for “a more interior knowledge of Jesus Christ.” This year we can go beyond piety and truly discover Christ in the living and breathing stories of our countrymen here and abroad. The hope of 2025 lies in our capacity to be galvanized by the call of our times. We just need to find the courage to refused to be engulfed by the darkness and say yes to the Yes! – Rappler.com Jovino G. Miroy teaches philosophy at Ateneo de Manila University. In 2018, he directed “Ang Apologia ni Sokrates salin ni R. Ferriols,” featuring Ron Capinding.INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Shoppers were in full force at Fountain Square for Small Business Saturday. The National Retail Federation said it expects nearly 64.5 million people to shop on Small Business Saturday. That includes the people coming to businesses here in the Fountain Square neighborhood. Local owners are excited to get involved. Many stores in Fountain Square opened at 9a.m., with many shoppers enjoying the chilly morning. “It’s going to be a fun day! We get a lot of business and good energy, so hope everyone comes out,” Brooke Tuggle, co-owner of Tuggle’s , said. Tuggle also said they have everything from stocking stuffers to presents and everything in between. “Everything that we have on here is on sale. We even have flowers and all kind of art goodies,” Tuggle said. Tuggle’s is also offering a chance for you to write a letter to Santa this year. “We have Santa visiting in a couple of weeks, and he’ll be responding to all of our letters and dropping off his replies here.” Santa will be making an appearance at Tuggle’s on Dec. 14. According to the United States Census Bureau in 2023, the reported projected spending in the U.S. from those who shopped local on Small Business Saturday was around $17 billion . Since 2010, the total reported U.S. spending during Small Business Saturday is estimated at $201 billion .
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Jimmy Carter: Many evolutions for a centenarian ‘citizen of the world’The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has disclosed that about 90 per cent of African Union (AU) economies will require mobilizing greater tax revenues, among other reforms, to experience growth. This was disclosed in the IMF’s “G2O REPORT ON STRONG, SUSTAINABLE, BALANCE, AND INCLUSIVE GROWTH,” dated November 2024. The IMF report states that economic activity in the African Union (AU) is forecast to accelerate, with growth increasing from 3.3 per cent in 2023 to 4.4 per cent in 2029, thereby returning close to pre-pandemic average levels (4.4 per cent in 2000-2019). Related Stories Top 10 fastest growing economies in Africa by IMF projection We must not follow blindly World Bank, IMF advice – Attahiru Jega tells FG For the AU, a union of which Nigeria is a part, the IMF maintained that reforms targeting fiscal policies, governance, and education and skills rank highest. The report stated that in about three-quarters of AU economies, governance reform needs rank very high, often with the aim of strengthening the rule of law, fighting corruption, improving public financial management (PFM) and anti-money laundering/countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) frameworks, and enhancing transparency, efficiency, and accountability of the government and state-owned enterprise sector. The report advised African governments to not just mobilize greater tax revenues but also control public spending while ensuring transparency. “Almost 90 per cent of AU economies require high-priority reforms of fiscal policy, including mobilizing greater tax revenues, controlling public spending, and enhancing transparency, while also maintaining essential social spending. “For about half of AU countries, high priority is also assigned to reforms aimed at improving education and skills, with frequent references to the need to increase the quality and access to primary, secondary, and tertiary education, reduce skill mismatches, and bolster skills and vocational training. “For about 40 per cent of AU countries also, reforms to business regulation, credit markets, and the green sector are assigned high importance,” the report noted. IMF, in a statement on its website on November 21, 2024, projected that growth is more robust across the African Union, which joined the G20 last year, but added that the continent’s booming populations mean their economies also must create jobs for millions of young people entering the labor market. Moreso, the IMF stated that economic growth is likely to be less sustainable over the medium and long term because public debt ratios remain high across several G20 countries and the AU, adding that rising debt service costs constrain fiscal space. “In addition, frontier markets in Africa are still grappling with high borrowing costs, despite some moderation in spreads so far in 2024, and some emerging markets may have trouble refinancing debt maturing on the horizon at sustainable interest rates, as borrowing costs have become sensitive to countries fiscal buffers,” the report added. Nigeria’s economy in the first and second quarters of the year grew by 2.98% and 3.19%, respectively, amid a surge in inflation and further depreciation of the naira. The GDP growth rate in the first two quarters of 2024 surpassed the figure for 2023, representing resilience despite severe macroeconomic shocks with a spike in gasoline prices and a 28-year high inflation rate. Nigeria’s inflation rate only began to slow down in July 2024 after 19 months of consistent increase dating back to January 2023. However, after two months of a slowdown hiatus, inflation continued to rise on the back of an increase in petrol prices by the NNPCL in September. In a recent interaction with the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva, President Bola Tinubu said that his government is already engaging stakeholders and sensitizing Nigerians to expand the country’s economy’s tax base for inclusive developmental growth. He said the federal government is doing this without necessarily increasing the tax burden on Nigerians, who have already contributed a lot.Andrew Luck returns to Stanford as the GM of the football program
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The wounded students were taken to hospitals in unknown condition after the shooting at Feather River School of Seventh-Day Adventists in Palermo, Butte County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Megan McMann said. The suspect died after apparently shooting himself, McMann said. A motive was unknown. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below. PALERMO, Calif. (AP) — There was a shooting Wednesday at a Northern California elementary school and the suspect is dead, sheriff’s officials say. Deputies were “on scene of an active incident involving a shooting” at Feather River School of Seventh-Day Adventists in Palermo, the Butte County Sheriff's Office said on the social platform X. It wasn’t immediately known if anyone at the school was hurt. “The suspected shooter is deceased,” the sheriff's office said. A phone call and email to the sheriff’s office were not immediately returned. A representative from the Butte County Fire Department did not immediately have any information about the shooting. Students were being taken to the Oroville Church of the Nazarene to be reunited with their families, the sheriff's office said. Palermo — home to about 5,500 people — is about 65 miles (104 km) north of Sacramento.Ranveer Singh, Nora Fatehi and others perform at lavish Surat wedding; netizens REACTS