I KNOW, I know! Many of you will be a bit taken aback by the comparison and then there will be some who will say, “Oh, yeah!” The chances are those that will be taken aback may be the ones who do not know your dogs and do not know your entrepreneurs. Then there may be some who will go into a state of shock at the mention of the word, pit bull. Well, for those of you who do get taken aback or, worse, go into a state of shock, you have my apologies and my compassion. You also have my invitation to come and stroll through these stories and allow me to help you discover a world of clarity, creativity, conscientiousness and a raging passion towards achievement, self-fulfillment and self-designed excellence. You will see and learn how many of the wonderful traits that make one species ferocious and wonderful make the other rugged and ragingly successful.

CEOs routinely declare in speeches to the troops that people are the company’s greatest assets. Such sentiment is not reflected in the financial statements. Vehicles, computers, and desks are booked as “assets” and depreciated accordingly. While employees rate higher than furniture and fixtures in items to save in a fire, they are still recorded only as cost.

I am pleased to share with readers the executive summary of our quarterly economic outlook report for GlobalSource Partners (globalsourcepartners.com) written by Marie Christine Tang and me last Nov. 22, 2018. The second part of this column is a statement of the Foundation for Economic Freedom supporting TRAIN 3, on property valuation for taxation purposes issued Nov. 30, 2018.

When the no-frills, no-nonsense British Prime Minister Theresa May crossed to center-stage dancing, raised hands swaying to the languid swing of ABBA’s “Dancing Queen,” it all said something was terribly amiss. It was in October, at the Conservative Party’s conference. Despite the standing ovation (the only polite and “veddy-British” response expected) to the somewhat awkward dancing, the matter to be discussed by May at the conference was not as forgivably acceptable. She was standing for approval of her planned UK transition deal with the European Union (EU) through to the end of 2020, after the March 29, 2019 effectivity of the British withdrawal (Brexit) from the EU, as signified by the UK in June 2016.

IT is also said that the meek shall inherit the earth. By meek they don’t mean small and scared but someone who is kind, forgiving and most of all humble. I respect this value and one incident in my life has made it a permanent part of my life.

THE bias for action is critical when dealing with consultants, especially those coming from academe or who have had many clients in one category. While these gurus can mesmerize a seminar crowd, or a board committee with their road map to the future (evolve or die), they seldom bother with how to move their clients from Point A to Point F. They may dismiss such humdrum exertions as operational issues.

We lost George Ty only days ago, but we will miss him for a long time. We will miss his kind person, his large presence, and the long and happy life we had wished for him.

Press freedom is protected by the 1987 Constitution because of the vital role of the news media in providing the information the citizenry needs in making intelligent decisions on matters of public interest. But despite Article III, Section 4, journalism is still a dangerous calling in the Philippines.

“The man of system...is apt to be very wise in his own conceit; and is often so enamoured with the supposed beauty of his own ideal plan of government, that he cannot suffer the smallest deviation from any part of it....He does not consider that in the great chess-board of human society, every single piece has a principle of motion of its own, altogether different from that which the legislature might choose to impress upon it.” -- Adam Smith, Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759)

A few years ago, this column tackled the issue of “Rape and the hook-up culture” (May 17, 2014). Sadly, the rape numbers for the Philippines essentially remain disturbing.

WITH the word “infrastructure,” we see roads, smell bridges and hear airports. We touch PPP and we taste BBB. Humans are embodied and connected to the physical world in very tangible ways. There is no argument against the necessity and importance of infrastructure to commuters and to country. It is essential to daily living and quality of life.

I would like to laud the House of Representatives, which on Sept. 4 of this year approved on third and final reading House Bill 4113. The bill, principally authored by Rep. Emmeline Aglipay Villar, grants paid maternity leave of 100 days, up from the former 60 days (78 days for mothers who had caesarian delivery). But what’s a mother to do from the 101^th day onwards? What comes after maternity leave?