Facebook Instagram Linkedin X Youtube
Home Blog Page 11417

In Honor Of Peddlers

Recently, Chinese-Filipino businessman, Henry Sy, Sr. died. An immigrant from an impoverished family in Jianjiang, a town near Xiamen, China, he started as a shoe peddler and when he died two Saturdays ago at the age of 93, he owned one of the world’s biggest shopping chains and the Philippines’ largest retailing chain. In 2018, he was listed as the richest man in the Philippines by Forbes with a net asset of $18.3 billion.
“Tatang,” as he is fondly called, is one of the Chinese migrants who made it phenomenally well in the Philippines. His story is reminiscent of the Jewish peddlers throughout the 19th century who migrated out of Germany to different places, mainly, in the United States of America. Peddling is an activity that consists of walking the road, selling goods door to door and house to house. It was considered a start-up occupation, especially to a migrant, to a stable enterprise or professional engagement. It was a springboard to more comfortable and higher-paying jobs or enterprises usually reserved for the locals.
Peddling required a lot of fortitude and determination so as to overcome difficulties and barriers. Peddlers suffered the discomforts of walking the road with all the elements of dust, heat, and rain. They faced physical and emotional challenges. They carried heavy burdens of goods. They were exposed to the danger of robbery on the road.
Amidst all these trials, peddling instills character in a person that serves as the key to one’s success. A peddler is persevering, thrifty, and resourceful. He is good with people. He is able to connect with customers. He is pleasant and communicates well with customers. He is well acquainted with his customers through his knowledge of local culture. Peddling serves as an activity that socializes him into the system. A peddler is a personal and communal network builder.
Henry Sy, Sr.
Henry Sy, Sr. peddled the shoes of some enterprising G.I. Joes after World War II. His success in shoe-peddling led him to put up his own shoe store, although initially, he found it difficult to partner with a shoe manufacturer that would be able to execute his ideas.
John Gokongwei, Jr., also a top Filipino businessman, peddled basic commodities using a bicycle at aged 15. He now has holdings in the food manufacturing, petrochemical, airline, and financial services industries. Andrew Tan of the Alliance Global Group, Inc. started as a kitchen appliance salesman.
Some people look at peddling as something demeaning. Peddlers usually sell quasi-luxuries bought by people who can be challenging to talk to. It is not easy to do what they do, i.e., “cold calls” or “sales talk” to people whom you don’t know, but whom you want to convince to buy your products because you think they need it. It can be humiliating, too, especially when they’re rejected. Imagine, however, the satisfaction one gets by closing a sale and developing loyalty or repeat purchases from customers. It can be financially and personally rewarding and fulfilling.
It is unfortunate that some business graduates scorn being “in the field.” It is here where good soldiers are formed. Under the heat of the sun and the other discomforts that peddling may bring, one develops the hallmarks of successful business magnates: fortitude, perseverance, determination, market understanding, and responsiveness.
Peddlers, above all, are men who have heart. Henry Sy, Sr. was named one of the Filipino Heroes of Philanthropy in 2009 by Forbes Asia. He was responsible for several professorial chair endowments in our university, De La Salle University (DLSU). One of our buildings was named after him in recognition of his generosity. John Gokongwei Jr.’s family is also DLSU’s generous donor. Their most recent donation, the John Gokongwei Jr. Innovation Center (JGIC), located within the De La Salle University (DLSU) Laguna campus, aims to become a hub for multimedia gaming and interactive entertainment in Southeast Asia.
These successful peddlers gave back to society with the hope of making it a better one, especially through the education of future generations. May their tribe increase, and may Tatang rest in peace.
 
Maria Victoria P. Tibon is an associate professor in the Management and Organization Department of the Ramon V. Del Rosario College of Business of De La Salle University. She is currently enjoying her service leave.
maria.victoria.tibon@dlsu.edu.ph

Does winning a debate matter in the elections?

By Tony Samson
IN THE USUAL CRUSADE to “know the candidates,” academic consortiums, poll agencies, and media embrace the “debate” as a good forum to gauge the worthiness of an aspirant. This seems to presume that the candidate in such a setting who is best able to communicate his position in particular issues (say, the minimum age for criminal prosecution), and narrate his platform as well as recite his qualifications for office, then the voter is sufficiently informed of his worthiness to win one of the 18,000 positions he or she is running for in the 2019 midterm elections.
The debate setting is deemed ideal to highlight qualifications and contrasts among say, the 76 candidates for the 12 senatorial seats. The format theoretically elicits the debater’s position on a topic chosen from a list of issues that may have surfaced from a focus group.
The same question is asked of the seven or so (maybe more) debaters spread out on the stage and ranged alphabetically. So, the first one is at a disadvantage in formulating the initial response, especially if he is unprepared for this topic. The last one too will just parrot what brilliant answers the previous ones gave, slyly hinting that his best punch lines have been coopted by the third speaker.
Preparation for the expected topics along with statistics and quotes do not automatically reveal the candidate’s depth of knowledge on an issue, only a tutor’s handiwork in preparing his pupil. Here, the sequence of responders can steal the statistics and references from another equally prepared, especially if he employed the same debate coach.
Communications skills are paramount in this exercise. It is too much like an academic setting where points are earned from witty repartees and a cogent argument that is well delivered. No wonder the debate format favors the academically inclined, and those who teach for a living. They are standard fare for contesting student leaders as well as competing in foreign competitions.
As a spectator sport, the debate can be sleep-inducing as the same question is serially tackled by candidates who hardly qualify for “life of the party” (pun intended). Only the TV anchors and hosts need to show rapt attention to the proceedings. They are instructed not to show any facial expression of delight or disappointment to maintain a sense of fairness accorded to the most stupid answers (do I still have ten seconds?) as well as profound flights to philosophical heights.
Candidates are reminded by their coaches or PR handlers not to be too verbose, and to avoid words exceeding four syllables, like “discombobulated.” Venturing to be too intellectual is seen as being detached from the people, maybe even looking down on them. Thus, is the effort for even the clumsiest native speaker to resort to using the vernacular. Here, it is alright to wax poetic and go for deep polysyllabic words (like karumaldumal) and still stay connected to the voters. There may even be gasps of awe — ano daw?
So, does debate performance move the election needle?
Even presidential versions of the debate format seem merely obligatory appearances for the candidates. One leading candidate (a big movie star) in a past election, and conceivably a boxer in a future one, begged off from the televised spectacle — I’d rather talk directly to the people.
Are debating skills favoring words and logic, and exposing the fallacy of others part of the necessary skills set of a politician? True, candidates for the legislature are running for an office where debating dexterity seems a necessary job requirement, at least in the televised portions of the process. What about the backroom negotiations, the dangling of incentives, and the distribution of pork? The useful words to such arguments are straightforward — yes, sir.
A very high proficiency in debating skills may even be a disadvantage to the politician who must rely on a majority of voters who find verbal dexterity irrelevant, if not suspicious. Can anything be politically worse than being characterized as an “inglisero” or a windbag, dismissed as NATO (No Action, Talk Only)?
Maybe voters are wise after all. They’ve heard too much talk and too little action. But does it follow that clumsy speech and inconsistency of logic lead to effective action? That’s a question worthy of a debate…among barbers and coffee drinkers.
 
Tony Samson is chairman and CEO, TOUCH xda.
ar.samson@yahoo.com

11 audience energizers for public speaking

By Raju Mandhyan
THOUSANDS of executives across the world strive to get a large audience moving, talking, laughing and learning is like King Sisyphus wanting to roll up a rock onto a hill. It is hard, it is tough and like the proverbial rock, the audience can come tumbling down. Yet, there are many who appear to have been born with the abilities to rouse up audiences and work the room naturally. The truth be told no matter how skilled and natural certain speakers appear, they all drill themselves mad through scores of techniques and tricks to rack up engagement and learning transfer.
This is not to downplay authenticity of intentions, quality of content and meaningfulness of purpose in public speaking, but to highlight the fact that the best of intentions and purposes need to be packaged prettily and brandished with fun.
To back up an article, Large Crowd Energizing Techniques, that I wrote a few years ago, here are eleven more easy ideas we can use. Besides the science that is explained in the aforementioned article the simple reason behind energizing our audiences is that every speech, every presentation and every conversation is an exchange and play of energy. When the speaker steps up to the lectern all eyes are on her and, thus, so is all the energy upon her. Call it the burden of leadership at that moment. Now when a speaker begins to dialogue or engage with the audience the energy begins to churn constructively.
To unburden and then brace yourself to rock and roll, here are eleven ideas:
• Ask a few positive closed questions with good chances of “yes” as an answer. Keep these questions closed, short and simple. Like, “all feeling good?” “Looking forward to a fun day?” “Feel this quarter is going to be better than the last one?” Manage to keep this activity less than 90 seconds.
• Ask them to talk to the person next to them and share, for less than 60 seconds each, “how they started their day this morning?” While they are at it, take a sip of water, check your clicker and slides and manage to keep the whole thing less than three minutes.
• Ask them simply to stand up, stretch and greet and welcome a few people they haven’t yet met. The hustle, the bustle and the smiles will unburden the energy off your shoulders and churn it around the room. Keep this activity also under three minutes for larger crowds and short keynotes, but allow five to seven minutes for smaller training sessions.
• If you are conversant with mindfulness meditations then have them sit up, sit silent, close eyes, focus upon their in and out breathes while thinking about how they want their day to turn out. Give them a minute of silence. Have them open their eyes and share their thoughts with the person next to them. Keep the whole activity down to less than three minutes. It is called a “minute to arrive.” A minute to let their awareness and focus blend in and settle into their bodies.
• If there is paper and pencil available, have them caricature a self-image and add an event expectation. Something like, “today, Joseph the accountant, wants to learn how to authentically influence others.” This will generate laughter, relax and cue you into your topic of the day, “Authentic Leadership Influence” or whatever. Manage to wrap this up, also, in less than five minutes.
• Flash a sensational statistic, a report or a headline on the screens and pause for them to grapple with it for ten to fifteen seconds. An example: An average person spends One Hundred and Twenty Minutes, or better still, Seven Thousand Breaths a Day, on social media. That is like taking a shower twenty times in a day! And, when the surprise and murmuring tones down you can plunge into your talk.
• Flash a very rare and unique photograph that has some sort of relevancy to the audience or to the subject matter at hand. The picture can also be of an incident that you will tell a story about during your presentation. Make sure the picture is not unpleasant, is easy to recognize and recall but carries meaning and purpose to the topic at hand. A good and a relevant picture works like a good prop. It takes the eyes away from you and directs them onto the picture. Thus, it moves the energy around.
• Display a real prop, a model or a gadget. Years ago, a motivational speaker friend of mine, Harry Pound, used to carry an old-fashioned, hand-operated water pump in the back of his car. At every speaking opportunity he’d place it on stage and mime pumping it while explaining that water, results only flow when effort is consistently made. Effort and hard work in, results and water out. The physical activity takes away attention and helps you, the speaker, get over herself and become one with the audience and vice versa.
• Employ gentle and benign humor. The powerful science behind humor is that the speaker has to herself the target of the joke. She has to belittle and humble herself, this deflates self-consciousness and endears the audience to the speaker. Refrain from trying complex humor. Keep it simple and light. Manage proper timing between setup and punch. Make an effort to relate it to the event. Years ago, I was to greet a guest speaker at the gates of a hotel and then escort him in and introduce him to the audience. Somehow I missed him at the gate and he was already on stage. At his introduction, I claimed that I was so dense that I’d never get a job in the immigration services. That earned me a lot of laughs because our guest was the then commissioner of immigration in the country.
• Tell an analogical story that somehow relates to the subject at hand. A friend of mine tells a story about how tigers when cornered fight back ten times more ferociously than normal. He takes his time in describing the mindset and the fighting nuances of a tiger. He then goes on to add how his sales and marketing teams work with ferocity during bad times. Spend just a few minutes painting a word picture of a cornered tiger. During the rest of your talk, compare how cornered tiger-like traits are found in salespeople. Spend three to paint the word picture and throughout your speech make a call back to it, like “rise and roar like a tiger!” It acts like a non-tangible prop and keeps your audience hooked for good.
• Tell a story which kind of spins off into a question. Years ago, I made up a fictional story of a farmer who digs for oil and fails several times and then eventually succeeds. At the near end of the story I ask the audience why he fails so many times, and where was the wealth during all those times. While they ponder upon possible answers, I deliver my message about discovering strengths and at the end of it give out the correct answer to the story. A roar goes through the audience because they then see the connection between the story and my presentation.
Understand this, the sight of any audience can give the heebie-jeebies to the best of us on stage. Lawrence Olivier, Meryl Streep and Amitabh Bachchan all claim rights to stage fright. Winston Churchill would claim to have bats in his belfry before any talk. To get nervous is normal. To be in awe of the energy pulsating from crowds is also normal. There are across the world scores of speakers who know how to motivate large groups by using the energy that emanates out of crowds.
Some methods work and some fail. There is no silver bullet solution to this malady and there is no such thing as the perfect and ultimate formula for success in delivering keynotes. The ones that you, sometimes, see and hear have been well planned, well-rehearsed and choreographed such that they appear as extremely natural. Only after a lot of practice will you become unconsciously competent with the sciences audience engagement and motivation. Even then you will always be striving for perfection but never reach it. Nobody has reached it. No, not even Socrates, Demosthenes, Twain, Churchill, Roosevelt, Gandhi, Mandela, Obama or Trump. They have just done well with what they had, and then created their own styles.
Study all the flavors, try the ones you like often and mix your very own cocktails. Just remember to be nice, polite, compassionate and refrain from laughing at your own jokes.
 
Raju Mandhyan is an author, coach and speaker.
www.mandhyan.com

Resilient Meralco stops TNT’s 2-game win run

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter
THE Meralco Bolts got back to winning in the PBA Philippine Cup on Wednesday, defeating erstwhile streaking TNT KaTropa, 88-77, in their match at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.
Showing a no-quit attitude despite a poor start to the contest, Meralco successfully fought its way back in the game and did not relent on its attack when it got its steady groove in the second half to notch the win that improved it to 2-2 in the season-opening Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) tournament while halting the two-game winning streak of TNT (2-3).
TNT went on a fast start, leaving Meralco in the dust, 13-0, in the first six minutes of the contest which it would eventually use to hold a 22-9 advantage after the opening quarter.
Jayson Castro jump-started the second frame with eight quick points to extend the KaTropa’s advantage to 21 points, 30-9, with just a minute lapsing.
But the Bolts, led by Jarred Dillinger and Ranidel de Ocampo, would respond with a 19-3 run of their own in the next seven minutes to narrow the gap at five points, 33-28.
Mr. Castro, however, did not allow a complete comeback by Meralco, towing his team to a 39-30 advantage by the halftime break.
In the third period, the Bolts would pick up from the momentum they got in the second frame.
On the lead of guard Baser Amer, they steadily clawed their way back, overtaking the KaTropa, 52-50 with 3:02 on the clock.
The two went back-and-forth after but the Bolts were not to be denied of a comeback in the period, holding a 63-58 lead heading into the payoff quarter.
Sensing it had TNT wobbled, Meralco opened the payoff quarter with an 8-0 blast to stretch their lead to 13 points, 71-58, at the 9:33 mark.
It further created distance, 79-60, with 4:50 to go as Messrs. Amer and Dillinger and Chris Newsome continued to find the mark.
The KaTropa tried desperately to make another ascent but just could not get the needed wind to propel them as they went on and bowed to the defeat.
Mr. Newsome paced the Bolts in the victory with 20 points to go along with nine rebounds and five assists.
Mr. Amer had 17 points while Mr. Dillinger had 16.
Mr. De Ocampo and Nico Salva each had 11 points for Meralco.
For TNT it was Mr. Castro who led with 20 points followed by Roger Pogoy with 15 markers.
“Basically we stayed focus. We have been coming off slow in this conference, making it tough for us. But we have been showing our resilience. In this game heading into the half we knew we had to make adjustments. We talked about it and played different in the second half,” said Mr. Newsome, named player of the game, after their win.
Meralco returns on Feb. 2 versus the NLEX Road Warriors while TNT next plays on Feb. 3 against the Magnolia Hotshots Pambansang Manok.

Kings’ Thompson hopes to do better in stint with nationals

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter
A STAPLE in Team Pilipinas in the last two windows of the FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian Qualifiers, Scottie Thompson is hoping that the lessons he got from his previous stints with the nationals would help him further contribute to the squad in its push to earn a spot in the world basketball spectacle.
Part of the pool of players preparing for the sixth and final window of the qualifiers next month, the do-it-all Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings star said he is very thankful to be considered once again for a roster spot in Team Pilipinas and that he is coming into the next window “more prepared.”
“First of all, I would like to thank God that I am once again part of the pool, and to Coach Yeng (Guiao) for the trust he has given me and picking me as part of the pool,” said Mr. Thompson, in the vernacular, during the national team’s practice last week at the Meralco Gym.
“For this upcoming window of the qualifiers, I think I can do better because I have more understanding of how the games are played in FIBA, particularly the physicality, and can adjust accordingly. It also helps that I was part of the team since Coach Yeng took over. I know his system and what he expects from me,” added Mr. Thompson, who has averaged 3.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 12 minutes of playing time per game in four matches in the qualifiers.
Team Pilipinas is set to see action in the sixth window on Feb. 21 and 24 where it will play in away matches Qatar and Kazakhstan, respectively.
Currently sporting a 5-5 record in the merged Group F of the qualifiers, the Philippines needs to sweep its remaining games to have a better shot at advancing to the next round by landing in the top three in the group for automatic entry or as the best fourth-placed team in the two groups left.
Part of the Philippine Basketball Association-bannered pool for the sixth window apart from Mr. Thompson are naturalized player Andray Blatche, Jayson Castro, Paul Lee, Mark Barroca, Marcio Lassiter, Gabe Norwood, Troy Rosario, Japeth Aguilar, JP Erram, June Mar Fajardo, Raymond Almazan and Roger Pogoy.
Christian Standhardinger, meanwhile, will serve as a backup naturalized player.
With their backs against the wall, Mr. Thompson said they have to play collectively in synch and follow their game plan under Mr. Guiao in next month’s matches.
“We have to stick to the system of Coach Yeng. Hopefully we show better chemistry in the next window to be able to get the result that we want,” 25-year-old Mr. Thompson said.
“One of the things that did us last time around was our unfamiliarity with our opponents. So this time we have to study the videos well, paying attention to every detail. We must study our opponents’ plays and tendencies so we can prepare for them better,” he added.
In Group F, the remaining automatic spot for the next round is being disputed by Japan (6-4), the Philippines (5-5) and Kazakhstan (4-6). Already qualified from the grouping are Australia and Iran.
The Philippines, which lost its two home-stand matches in the fifth window late last year, can finish anywhere between third and fifth. It could notch a spot in the World Cup with as little as one win as it holds a tie-breaker against Japan, but even if it wins both games in the sixth window, it will have to depend on other results.
Alternatively, according to FIBA, the Philippines could qualify as the best fourth-placed team in Asia as long as it avoids losing to Kazakhstan by more than 48 points or losing twice in the final window, as it would finish fifth. It would also finish fifth if Kazakhstan wins both games and Japan wins at least once.

Asian Cup: Gulf tensions boil over as Qatar ousts UAE

ABU DHABI — Crowd trouble marred Qatar’s dominant 4-0 win against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Tuesday as a bitter political rift between the Gulf neighbors spilled onto the soccer pitch.
The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Egypt cut political and trade ties with Qatar in June 2017 over allegations Doha supports terrorism, a charge Qatar denies.
Those tensions of the dispute boiled over as Qatar, hosts of the 2022 World Cup, convincingly beat the UAE to book an Asian Cup final against Japan.
The noisy crowd of 38,646 at the Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, was, as expected, hostile to the Qatar side.
Emirati supporters threw sandals and plastic water bottles at Qatar players celebrating goals in each half, rare in what had traditionally been a hard-fought but respectful derby fixture until the start of the dispute.
Throwing a shoe at someone is considered a major insult in the Arab world, where it is rude to sit with the sole of a shoe pointing at someone.
In other scenes rare for Gulf soccer, the fans jeered throughout the Qatar national anthem with dozens of Emiratis sitting for its duration before standing for the UAE anthem.
UAE supporters had been bussed in from around the country with thousands of tickets given away to local fans but many started to head for the exits after Hassan al-Haydos put Qatar 3-0 up in the 80th minute.
Qatari nationals, who previously travelled freely in the Gulf, are banned from entering the UAE unless they receive a special permit.
As in their previous matches, the Qataris did have some support from a couple of dozen fans, including sympathetic Omanis whose country has taken a neutral stand in the diplomatic row.
The small but happy band of away fans were held back in the stadium after the match for apparent safety reasons.
In the lead up to the game, Abu Dhabi police had urged supporters to behave in a sportsmanlike and civilised manner without specifically mentioning the match.
Supporters, however, cheered Emirati defender Ismail Ahmed when he was sent off in stoppage time at the end of the match for an off-the-ball elbow to the face of a Qatari player.
It has been a jailable offence to “show sympathy” towards Qatar in the UAE since the start of the dispute, which government officials say is with the leaders of the neighboring country and not its people. — Reuters

Brady body guards key to unlocking Super Bowl win

ATLANTA — Whether it is heads of state, endangered species or Fort Knox there are few things in this world better protected than New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.
And keeping Brady safe will be a key on Sunday when the Patriots take on a ruthless Los Angeles Rams defense led by Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh in the Super Bowl.
The problem facing the Rams is that Patriots Trent Brown, Marcus Cannon, Shaq Mason, Joe Thuney and David Andrews have provided a virtual force field around the 41-year-old Brady allowing him to go about his work undisturbed.
In playoff wins over the Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs, who also boast strong defenses, Brady was not sacked once, with his offensive line doing such a complete job that he did not even need to have his jersey laundered.
Brady offered proof posting a picture of his spotless jersey on Instagram following New England’s AFC title game win over the Chiefs with the tagline; “Not even 1 grass stain!”
“I love that group,” said Brady. “I have so many great guys that I play with up front.
“They’re sole job is to protect me and help our offense block for the running backs. It is the most unselfish job on the team.”
Brady rarely ventures outside of his protective cocoon. This season, after 19 years in the league, he finally surpassed 1,000 rushing yards. For his entire career.
But Brady has not steered the Patriots to three consecutive Super Bowl appearances and four in the last five years with his legs, he has done it with his arm.
To do that Brady requires time and that has been provided by an offensive line that has exceeded all expectations.
After losing All-Star Nate Solder to free agency, the Patriots line looked like it was in for a rebuild but New England coach Bill Belichick cobbled together a unit of late round draft picks that has become one of the NFL’s best.
Thuney, a third-round pick and Mason a fourth round selection, Cannon a fifth rounder, Brown a seventh and Andrews, an undrafted unrestricted free agent form a 1,633 pound (741 kg) wall protecting Brady.
“They played as well as any offensive line all season, they have really come together,” praised Brady. “We’ve been able to play the game on our terms and that includes being able to run it and throw it on our terms.
“Our line has done and incredible job all year but we have the biggest test of the year coming up.” — Reuters

Russian, Mexican promoters back Formula 1 rights holders

LONDON — Russian and Mexican Grand Prix promoters showed support for Formula One (F1) owners Liberty Media on Tuesday after other race organizers expressed concern about how the sport was being run.
The Formula One Promoters’ Association (FOPA), which represents 16 of the 21 races on the calendar, had issued a statement ahead of an annual meeting hosted in London by Liberty.
In it, they expressed concern about a reduction in free-to-air broadcasting, a ‘lack of clarity on new initiatives’ and the risk of new races being introduced “to the detriment of existing events.”
Russian promoter Sergey Vorobyev told Reuters he did not share FOPA’s point of view and approach, a stance shared by Mexican organizers who issued a statement distancing themselves from FOPA’s position.
“The Mexican Grand Prix’s promoters recognise that the new administration of Formula One has listened and been sensitive to their concerns, with both parties working very closely together,” they said.
Russia is not a member of FOPA, along with Monaco — a race with historic privileges — Bahrain, Abu Dhabi and Japan.
Vorobyev told motorsport.com that FOPA’s criticisms were “fairly toothless” and he did not share the position of the association’s British chairman Stuart Pringle.
“All the issues indicated there, in this statement, they are being resolved one way or another in the current format of communication with Liberty,” he said.
“I don’t believe this (FOPA) approach to be constructive,” added Vorobyev.
NO COMMENT
Formula One management, represented at the meeting by chairman Chase Carey and motorsport managing director Ross Brawn, declined to comment on the FOPA statement.
The meeting set out the sport’s short and long-term plans, including digital and television production, sponsorship and marketing.
Pringle, the managing director of Britain’s Silverstone circuit, told Reuters afterwards the meeting had been constructive.
“It’s a pity we felt it necessary, but we felt it necessary to make a statement such as we did,” he said. “Actually it’s prompted a very positive dialogue today and we are all optimistic of making meaningful progress.”
Formula One’s commercial agreement with teams expires at the end of 2020 with talks under way for a potential transformation of the sport, with plans for budget caps and a more equal distribution of the revenues.
Race hosting fees make up a major part of Formula One’s revenues and newer races, in locations such as the Middle East or Asia, pay more than those in the European heartland.
Silverstone is out of contract after this year, along with Germany’s Hockenheim, Italy’s Monza, Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya and Mexico City.
The British GP circuit owners invoked a break clause in 2017 to push for a better deal, arguing that the original contract agreed with former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone was not financially viable. — Reuters

Department of Education lauds Chooks-to-Go for promoting nationalism through sports

COUNTRY above self has been the mantra of Chooks-to-Go since entering the local sporting scene back in 2016.
Tuesday morning, the company found numerous partners to support their cause.
During the flag ceremony of the students in Bagong Silangan Elementary School in Quezon City, Chooks-to-Go, together with the Ayala Foundation, signed a pact with the Department of Education to promote the “Maging Magiting” campaign.
The purpose of this campaign is to teach the students the importance of respecting the flag by giving 10,000 schools a new set of flags.
“We are talking about flag activation day today. Mahalaga itong araw na ito. I want everybody to know ang ating Maging Magiting campaign. Sabi nga ng Chooks-to-Go, they are promoting country above self by instilling nationalism through sports which is what we are doing as well,” said DepEd Undersecretary for Legislative Liaison Office, External Partnerships Service and School Sports Tonisito Umali, ESQ.
“I talked to president Ronald [Mascariñas] na yung kampanya nila tungkol sa ginagawa nila ay means of fostering nationalism to promote human total development and accelerate national progress.”
“Nagpapasalamat po kami sa mga partners namin na magbibigay ng watawat sa 10,000 na eskwelahan,” added National Historical Commission Acting Executive Director III Ludovico Badoy. “Bago pa namin simulan ang proyekto na ito sa mga nakakatanda, sinigurado naming simulan ito sa mga kabataan. Alam namin na marami pang darating na mga bayani sa inyo. Ang National Historical Commission ay nandito para ituro ang kahalagahan ng watawat.”
For Chooks-to-Go, being part of the Maging Magiting campaign is another avenue for the company to promote its ideals and mission.

Carlsen wins Tata Masters

81st Tata Steel Masters
Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands
Jan. 22-31, 2019

Final Standings (all GMs)

1. Magnus Carlsen NOR 2835, 9.0/13

2. Anish Giri NED 2783, 8.5/13

3-5. Ian Nepomniachtchi RUS 2763, Ding Liren CHN 2813, Viswanathan Anand IND 2773, 7.5/13

6. Vidit Santosh Gujrathi IND 2695, 7.0/13

7-9. Teimour Radjabov AZE 2757, Samuel Shankland USA 2725, Richard Rapport HUN 2731, 6.5/13

10. Jan-Krzysztof Duda POL 2738, 5.5/13

11-12. Vladimir Fedoseev RUS 2724, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov AZE 2817, 5.0/13

13-14. Jorden Van Foreest NED 2612, Vladimir Kramnik RUS 2777, 4.5/13

Ave Rating 2753 Category 21
Time Control: 100 minutes for the first 40 moves, then 50 minutes for the next 20 moves, followed by 15 minutes for the rest of the game with 30 seconds added to your time after every move starting move 1
World Champion Magnus Carlsen won the Tata Steel Masters tournament for the 7th time (this is a record, Viswanathan Anand is the only other player to have won it for five or more times) with a final score of 9/13 composed of five wins and eigth draws.
You will recall that last year he skipped the Chess Olympiad and instead participated in the European Club Championships, where, after a round 2 win over GM Vladimir Potkin he finished with five straight draws. After that Carlsen defended his world title vs the American Fabiano Caruana. That was a historic match in a negative sense — for the first time all 12 games of the match were drawn. Carlsen retained his title by winning the rapid tie-breaks.
This inability to win continued through the first four rounds in Wijk aan Zee and finally in round 5 he beat Dutch GM Jorden van Foreest with the black pieces to end the “draw streak” at 21 games.
Having broken the slump he finished the tournament with four wins and four draws. They say Magnus Carlsen can squeeze water from stone – the following game is a very good example.

Carlsen, Magnus (2835) — Rapport, Richard (2731) [B80]
Tata Steel Masters 2019 Wijk aan Zee (8.1), 20.01.2019

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.g3
The Fianchetto Variation of the Sicilian Taimanov. Rather than go all-out to wipe Black off the board, the first player aims for a small positional edge and to keep Black’s counterplay to a minimum.
6…a6 7.Bg2 Nf6 8.0–0 d6
Usually in this line Black goes 8…Nxd4 9.Qxd4 Bc5 10.Bf4 d6 11.Qd2 with white concentrating on putting pressure down the d-file.
And oh yes, here is a trap you should be aware of 8…Be7 9.Re1 Nxd4? is a serious mistake, he should have castled or played d7–d6. Here is why: 10.e5! Nb5 (10…Ng8 11.Qxd4 White is clearly better with no material investment; 10…Nc6 11.exf6 Bxf6 12.Nd5 Qd8 13.Be3 White has the very strong threat of Bb6, and it is not sure how Black can meet it) 11.exf6 gxf6 (11…Bxf6 12.Nd5 Qd8 13.Be3 White is winning) 12.Nd5! exd5 13.Bxd5 Black could not survive his opponent’s assault. De La Riva,O-Plaskett, J Mondariz Zonal, Spain 2000 1–0 22.
9.Nxc6 bxc6 10.Na4 Rb8 11.c4 c5 12.b3 Be7 13.Bb2 0–0 14.Qe1!
A new move, and a strong one. Carlsen leaves the d1–square free for his rook and prepares a later Bb2–c3–a5 incursion. It also doubly protects the e4–square in anticipation of …Bb7.
14…Nd7
Now 14…Bb7 15.e5! Ng4 (15…dxe5 loses a pawn to 16.Bxe5 Bd6 17.Bxd6 Qxd6 18.Rd1 Qe7 19.Bxb7 Rxb7 20.Qa5) 16.exd6 Bxd6 17.Bxb7 Rxb7 18.Qe4 breaks Black’s pawn formatrion on the queenside. We get the sort of position which is ideal for Magnus Carlsen — he will squeeze and squeeze Black until the hapless foe capitulates 100 moves later.
15.Rd1 Bb7 16.Qc3 Bf6 17.Qd2 Be7
Not 17…Bxb2? 18.Nxb2 the d6–pawn falls
18.Qc3 Bf6 19.Qd2 Be7 20.f4
Threatening e4–e5.
20…e5 21.Bc3!
We go back to squeezing water out of stones. Rather than the obvious 21.Nc3, Magnus improves the position of his pieces first.
21…Bc6 22.Ba5 Qb7 23.Nc3 exf4 24.gxf4 Rfe8 25.e5!
No let-up.
25…Bxg2 26.Qxg2 dxe5
The queen trade 26…Qxg2+ 27.Kxg2 loses the d6–pawn.
27.Nd5 e4 28.Bc3 f6 29.Kh1!
Shifting to a direct kingside assault.
29…Kh8 30.Rg1 Bf8 <D>
[30…g6 31.f5!]
POSITION AFTER 30…BF8
31.Ne3!
I thought this was a mistake at first but now I am very impressed. You see, White could win a pawn with 31.Nxf6 as the threat of mate on g8 stops Black capturing twice on f6. Come to think of it though, I realize that White did not sacrifice a pawn just so that he can win it back a few moves later! As the website Chess24 points out, Carlsen went for the deadly maneuver of 31.Ne3! followed by Rd5–h5, when there was no way to defend the black king.
31…Qc6 32.Rd5 Qe6! 33.Rh5 Qf7 34.Qh3 g6 35.Rh4 Rb6 36.f5! Ne5
There is no defense:
36…g5 37.Rxg5; or
36…gxf5 37.Nxf5 Ne5 38.Ng7! Qxg7 (38…Bxg7 39.Rxh7+ Kg8 40.Rh8#) 39.Rxg7 Bxg7 40.Bxe5 fxe5 (40…Rxe5 41.Qc8+) 41.Rxh7+ Kg8 42.Rh5 with a winning game.
37.Nd5 Rd6 38.fxg6 Nxg6 39.Bxf6+! Rxf6 40.Rxh7+ [and Black resigns because of Because of the fork after 40.Rxh7+ Qxh7 41.Qxh7+ Kxh7 42.Nxf6+] 1–0
“Overpowering” is the adjective which comes to mind.
Don’t feel so bad for Rapport. The Hungarian tactical genius also got a few licks in. This early I daresay that his 37th move against the Polish GM Duda is an early favorite for “Move of the Year.”

Duda,Jan-Krzysztof (2738) — Rapport, Richard (2731) [D00]
Tata Steel Masters 2019 Wijk aan Zee (10.1), 23.01.2019

1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 d5 3.Bxf6 exf6 4.e3
Believe it or not 4.c4? is a mistake. After 4…dxc4 5.e3 (5.e4 Nc6 6.d5 Ne5 7.Bxc4 Nxc4 8.Qa4+ Bd7 9.Qxc4 Bd6 10.Ne2 0–0 11.0–0 f5 Black is doing very well. Yanovskaya, O (2004)-Korchagina, V (2173) Vladimir 2007 0–1 (40)) 5…Be6 6.Nc3 c6 Black holds on to the extra pawn with the superior game. The move Ne5 to recover the pawn on c4 is no longer available to White Juettner,A (2105)-Miezis,N (2553) Schwaebisch Gmuend 2008 0–1 30.
4…Be6 5.Nd2 c6 6.Ngf3 b5 7.a4 b4 8.a5 Bd6 9.c4 bxc3 10.bxc3 0–0 11.Be2 f5 12.0–0 Nd7 13.Qa4 c5 14.c4 Nf6 15.Nb3 Ne4 16.Nxc5 Bxc5 17.dxc5 Rc8 18.c6 Nc3 19.Qc2 Nxe2+ 20.Qxe2 Rxc6 21.cxd5 Bxd5 22.Nd4 Rc5 23.Qd2 Qg5 24.f3 Rfc8 25.Rfc1 g6 26.Rxc5 Rxc5 27.Rb1 h5 28.Rb8+ Kh7 29.Re8 Qf6 30.Rb8 Qa6 31.Nb3 Bxb3 32.Qd8?!
Correct was 32.Qb2 which wins back the piece after 32…Rc8 33.Rxc8 Qxc8 34.Qxb3 with the likelihood of a draw. Duda wants more than a draw though and really goes for the neck. We should thank him for this, for now we really get to see some fireworks.
32…Rc1+ 33.Kf2 Qf1+ 34.Kg3
It looks like Black’s king is in danger of being mated. Black has a nice counter though.
34…f4+! 35.Kxf4
[35.exf4 Qe1+ 36.Kh3 Be6+ 37.g4 hxg4+ 38.fxg4 Rc3+ 39.Kg2 Qe2+ followed by mate]
35…Rc4+ 36.Kg3
There is no salvation:
36.e4 g5+! 37.Ke5 (37.Kg3 Qe1+ 38.Kh3 Qh4#; 37.Qxg5 Qc1+ 38.Kf5 Rc5+ 39.e5 Rxe5+) 37…Qa1+ 38.Kd6 Rd4+;
36.Ke5 Qa1+ 37.Kd6 Qa3+ 38.Ke5 f6+ 39.Kxf6 Qb2+ 40.Ke6 Rc5+ 41.Rxb3 Qxb3+ 42.Kd7 Qd5+ and wins.
36…Qe1+ 37.Kh3
Now for the “move of the year”.
37…Rc8!! 38.Rxc8
[38.Qxc8 Be6+]
38…Be6+ 39.g4 hxg4+! 40.fxg4 Qxe3+ 41.Kh4
[41.Kg2 Qe2+ 42.Kg1 Qxg4+ 43.Kf2 Bxc8]
41…Qf2+ 0–1
Mate will follow: 41…Qf2+ 42.Kg5 (42.Kh3 Qf3+ 43.Kh4 Qxg4#) 42…Bxc8 43.Qxc8 f6#
A lot of exciting chess was played in Wijk aan Zee. We will continue our coverage in the next column.
 
Bobby Ang is a founding member of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) and its first Executive Director. A Certified Public Accountant (CPA), he taught accounting in the University of Santo Tomas (UST) for 25 years and is currently Chief Audit Executive of the Equicom Group of Companies.
bobby@cpamd.net

No one-man team

The Pelicans could have simply folded yesterday. They certainly had a variety of excuses to do so. They were down by double digits early on the road against the highly regarded Rockets, with a match at home against the equally formidable Nuggets awaiting them on a back-to-back stint. More importantly, they had just come off three days between stops in which the only news they got was the worst possible one: Perennial Most Valuable Player candidate Anthony Davis wants out, and has asked management to explode trade possibilities with a contender. Considering that they were already third to last in the West with him at his finest, the outlook could very easily have demoralized them.
Instead, the Pelicans hung tough. Precisely because the perception was that they would be only too ready to tank in the face of the negative development, they set out to do the opposite. Under pressure yesterday, they strove to prove to all and sundry — and, yes, to themselves — that they had the wherewithal to stay competitive even in Davis’ absence. For all his contributions to the cause, they were not a one-man team, and they wanted to show it.
And so the Pelicans gnawed at the deficit, gunning for efficiency on offense while staying focused at the other end of the court. They cut it down to seven by the end of the second quarter, turned it into a lead after the third, and actually built on their advantage enough to hold on even as the Rockets tried to rally late. Needless to say, former All-Star Jrue Holiday was instrumental in the crunch, scoring eight points in the last 5:04, including two off free throws with 3.9 seconds left in the set-to to preserve the outcome. He had been holding the fort since Davis was sidelined due to a left index finger sprain.
That said, it’s fair to contend that the Pelicans have become more balanced and less reliant on one do-it-all stalwart. Holiday has naturally stepped up to be first in the pecking order sans Davis, but he’s getting lots of help. Yesterday, nine players got to see action for at least 11 minutes, as much an indication as any of head coach Alvin Gentry’s mindset to have the slack picked up by committee. And of the four logging 30 and above, Jahlil Okafor’s contributions were significant; the seeming bust signed to extremely friendly terms in the offseason once again put up huge numbers.
How the Pelicans will look like as and after they sort out their future is subject to speculation. They could go all in on a rebuilding project and trade everyone with value. They could try to stay relevant by asking for acknowledged talents even at pennies to the dollar. They could aim for something in between by likewise insisting on draft picks. In any case, this much is clear: No matter their composition, they will spare no effort fighting. Gentry will make sure they compete from opening tip to final buzzer, regardless of circumstance. It has been that way with Davis. It will be that way without him.
 
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994.

Shares fall ahead of US-China talks, Fed review

By Arra B. Francia, Reporter
LOCAL EQUITIES fell on Wednesday as investors chose to pocket profits ahead of trade talks between the United States and China, as well as the upcoming decision of the US Federal Reserve.
The 30-member Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) stumbled 0.88% or 70.87 points to close at 7,979.95 yesterday. The broader all-shares index likewise dropped 0.66% or 32.19 points to 4,824.53.
“The lack of fresh catalysts in the local market prompted the investors to take profit today. I believe the market is still in a wait-and-see mode as they await the updates in the US-China trade talks which will resume [Wednesday] until Thursday,” Unicapital Securities, Inc. technical analyst Cristopher Adrian T. San Pedro said via text.
US officials will be meeting with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He on Wednesday and Thursday as both parties try to arrive at a deal before the March 1 deadline of their 90-day truce. This comes amid the charges filed against Chinese tech giant Huawei and its chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou.
Investors were also seen to be on the sidelines before the Federal Open Market Committee concludes its two-day policy meeting. Analysts see the body keeping rates unchanged.
“With the index finally showing weakness today and failing to close above the 8,000 mark, initial support is in the 7,800 area. Look out for how US markets move tonight especially with the upcoming Fed decision — consensus expects rates to remain steady,” Papa Securities Corp. sales associate Gabriel Jose F. Perez said in an e-mail on Wednesday.
Wall Street indices ended mixed ahead of the Fed’s decision. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.21% or 51.74 points to 24,579.96. The S&P 500 index declined 0.15% or 3.85 points to 2,640, while the Nasdaq Composite index edged lower by 0.81% or 57.40 points to 7,028.29.
Despite the market’s weakness back home, foreign investors remained net buyers at P843.95 million, versus Tuesday’s net purchases worth P795.76 million.
All sectoral indices moved to negative territory, led by services which plunged 2.15% or 34.72 points to 1,577.12. Financials shed 1.15% or 21.33 points to 1,823.08; industrials dropped 0.86% or 101.98 points to 11,636.93; mining and oil slipped 0.37% or 32 points to 8,469.24; property went down 0.23% or 9.28 points to 3,944.25; while holding firms dipped 0.22% or 18.05 points to 7,893.07.
Some 2.38 billion issues switched hands valued at P9.62 billion, higher than the previous session’s P8.21 billion.
Decliners outpaced advancers, 117 to 84, while 47 names were unchanged.
“In the short term, I expect the index to range between 7,818 support and 8,143 resistance with the possibility of testing 7,700 if the bearish momentum continues,” Unicapital’s Mr. San Pedro said.

1...11,41611,41711,418...14,238Page 11,417 of 14,238
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
© 2024 BusinessWorld Publishing.
All rights reserved.
Read our privacy guidelines
Facebook Instagram Linkedin X Youtube