Pairs of Pictures, Pairs of Stories, Pairs of Lessons

Here are three pairs. We might just learn something....

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1. Presidential Pictures

• AP/SUSAN WALSH
• President George W. Bush flying over flooded New Orleans in Air Force One.
• A photograph the former US President regrets.
• Downloaded from   http://www.bestofneworleans.com/blogofneworleans/archives/2011/05/03/the-naginbush-photos-separated-at-birth
• "Former President George W. Bush says it was a "huge mistake" to let himself be photographed looking from Air Force One down at the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina."
• http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/upshot/george-w-bush-calls-katrina-photo-huge-mistake.html

President Aquino with Risa Hontiveros, Ruffy Biazon, Joel Villanueva, Kris Aquino, and Mar Roxas
during a relief drive, August 8, 2012. 
Photo downloaded from  http://www.facebook.com/TOPGEARPHILIPPINES

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2. Flooded Streets

Infographic from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Federal Emergency Management Agency
for New Orleans residents (Katrina hurricane, 2005)

Australians swimming in Philippine flood. Downloaded from  http://all-about-news.com/australians-swimming-in-philippine-flood-goes-viral/
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgpwHck-zvs&feature=player_embedded

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3. Philippine Misdiagnosed Problems

The Philippine government embarks on an ambitious K-12 plan without addressing first the shortages of its basic education program and poor working conditions of its teachers

"...With the implementation this year of what was originally proclaimed as the “mandatory” Kindergarten component of K-12, we already got a preview of the imminent threat of K-12 to the education system, especially if we take into account our limited resources. Since we don’t have enough qualified teachers to teach Kindergarten, DepEd has lowered the qualifications of teachers, and this is capped by the dangerous decision to hire even less qualified “volunteer” teachers. And since we don’t have enough classrooms, DepEd has also lowered the standards of the Kindergarten classroom by saying they will use whatever available facility is available in the school, be it the home economics room or the ever-so-hazardous science laboratory. Sure, I value pre schooling as much as the next guy. However, I do believe that there’s a big difference between having a good preschool education and a bad one. We cannot, in conscience, allow our preschools to function without adequate resources, be it qualified personnel or appropriate facilities and equipment...."

-Carlos Valarao

From Fallacy to Fear

http://www.scribd.com/doc/102444673/From-Fallacy-to-Fear

As in education, the Philippine government likewise misunderstands its flooding problem.