The Poor: Smarter Than You Think

I stumbled upon an article from the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism site. It essentially makes a case for a more intelligent "poor vote" that we give the poor credit for. Here are some excerpts:

Based on the results of 16 focus-group discussions in rural and urban poor communities throughout the country, the IPC study shatters stereotypes about the poor voter. It's key findings include:

- The poor ranked education, experience, platform, and track record as among the most important criteria for choosing candidates.
- They do not necessarily have high regard for the wealthy and powerful. What they do have are idealistic notions of leadership, valuing qualities such as piety (makadiyos), helpfulness, sincerity, and responsibility.
- Celebrities are not necessarily preferred by poor voters. Many said they value educational qualifications, but they were also suspicious about those with superior education. They said experience and good intentions more than compensate for a lack of college education.
- The most import sources of influence in the choice of candidates among the poor are, in declining order: the media, the family, the church, and political parties. Surveys come in last on the list.
They're not that different from how the rest of us are... are they?

The most frequently mentioned qualities of a good leader were:
Makadiyos (God-fearing)
Matulungin (Helpful)
Matapat (Loyal)
Responsable (Responsible)
Matalino (Intelligent)
Masipag (Hardworking)
Maprinsipyo (Principled)
Tumutupad sa pangako (Keeps promises)
Mapagkakatiwalaan (Trustworthy)
Source: Institute of Philippine Culture
Asbolleuty Iblnrcedie

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdgnieg!
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THE PHAOMNNEAL PWEOR OF THE HMUAN MNID
Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

Amzanig huh?

Sort of...
I wasn't able to read even the first sentence the first time. Then I went into "speed reading mode" and I had no problem reading the paragraph. Very interesting exercise.
Beyond the Isle
A thoroughly enjoyable romp through Dean Alfar's Isle! Roughly a third of the gaming time was spent learning about how things were on Isle, before a sudden change in the status quo. The next third of the game was about how our characters endured the aforementioned change, and the final third dealt with our characters learning our crafts...

Crafts. Ways of Magic.

Here's a word from my character, Zoilo Itash on the encountered crafts:
I hope to be a Baker/Tinker when I get back to Isle, assuming the murderous brothers who are "training" me don't kill me before I can get back. Truth be told, I'd rather be THE Tinker, rather than A Baker. Some crafts apparently allow for multiple craftsmen, while others only allow a unique bearer of the craft at a time. The unique ones I've heard of so far include... the Tinker, the Tailor, the Soldier, the Spy, the Rich Man, the Poor Man, the Beggarman, and the Thief.

I was sent here to be a Tinker, however. It seems that the Tinker is needed to set things right on Isle. To find out what has happened to the Widow and the Bastard and the Hollow. Perhaps we are meant to contact the Fabulist or the Lyric or even the Wanton when we return. Perhaps not.

It seems The Tinker is rubbing off on me, because I've become more comfortable improvising rather than planning.


Thanks again to Dean for running the game, and signifying interest in playing! Thanks to Nikki for contacting me to set the game up! And, thanks to both of them for patiently waiting at the Petron gas station near my place. Perhaps they can devise a better way of giving directions for other interested in trekking to the game at my place.